Carthage
by GypsyReaper
Summary: Sequel to "Geronimo!" Despite his best efforts at playing cock-blocker, Dean can only keep Sam and Gabriel apart for so long—sparks fly when hunter and archangel finally get their alone time! Then, things hit the fan when the Winchesters and Harvelles go to Carthage to stop Lucifer from raising Death. Will Gabriel stand up to Lucifer for Sam, whom he's starting to fall for?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: ****Yeah, another story! Multi-chapter Sabriel for the win, woot! N**

**Now, I just want to warn you guys that this one is more drama than good, old-fashioned humor, so please read and leave comments!**

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><p><span>Chapter One<span>

It had been over two weeks. Dean was sitting on the end of his bed in another strange motel room, scowling and drinking a beer in angry silence.

Sam was sitting at the tiny table in the room, hunched over slightly since the chair and table were just a touch too short for him to sit comfortably. He was typing away on his laptop, trying to glean information on their latest case. Well, mostly that's what he was doing. In another open tab on his computer he was looking up news articles of strange incidents—ironic cases of karma, like jerks getting their "just desserts."

Sam was keeping an eye out for Gabriel, to see if he was up to his usual tricks. Ever since the Geronimo incident (as Dean referred to it), the archangel hadn't come around, leaving them on their own, and leaving Sam to deal with the moody older brother.

This was pissing off Sam to no end. He'd finally—finally—gotten Gabriel in bed, and his older brother was playing professional cock-blocker, with the intention of getting the gold medal for it.

Dean hadn't left Sam's side, and he was always in their motel room. He hadn't gone out to a bar or even to the grocery store without forcing Sam to tag along, and Dean was getting grumpier and grumpier on his self-imposed baby-sitting stint.

After Dean let out another sigh of irritation, Sam closed the laptop harder than necessary. "Hey, Dean," Sam started, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Dean glanced at him, but continued to drink his beer in moody silence.

Sam sighed. "So, I can't seem to find anything on this ghost. City records don't seem to show anything out of the ordinary. Maybe the locals know something? There's a local legend about a woman in white that attacks men near that bar, Logger's Head. Why don't you do some recon there?"

Dean looked at up Sam, eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Sam managed to look completely casual.

"And what were you going to do?" Dean asked curiously.

Sam motioned in irritation at the laptop. "Well, since there doesn't seem to be anything online, I figured I'd hoof it to the library. Maybe even city hall if necessary. Check the town records for who this woman could be, and why she's at that bar, etc."

Dean finished his beer with a long swallow, and tossed it in the trash can next to the bed. "Alright, then library or bar first, where do you want to go?"

Although mentally Sam was pissed, his managed to keep his face impassive. "Dean, it would be faster if we split up and—"

"Yeah, not gonna happen Sammy."

Sam stood angrily, glaring at Dean, who was glaring right back from the bed. "What's your problem, Dean? You've been so far shoved up my ass these past few weeks I've been having trouble sitting down! What gives?" Sam demanded.

Dean stood up, and put his hands on his hips. "My problem? My problem is about this tall," he said, holding his hand at shoulder height, "has golden eyes, and a real sugar addiction. Don't act innocent Sam, I walked in on you! The image of you and Gabriel making out naked in our room has been permanently _burned_ into my retinas!" Dean snapped.

"Well, next time knock, dumbass," Sam retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Next time? Oh, no, there will be no 'next time'! Naked making out leads to naked other things, and I'm not letting you sleep with Gabriel," Dean said, scrunching up his face in disgust. "He's the _Trickster_, Sam! He's an _Archangel_! He's all the different kinds of asshole we've had to deal with in one little compact package of dick!"

Sam rolled his eyes in anger, but in his mind he was thankful Dean only thought they were making out. If he'd realized they had done more than that, he would have probably tried to deep fry the angel already.

"Gabriel is helping us, Dean!" Sam said hotly. "Or did you think that group of demons two days ago just offed themselves for the fun of it?"

They had been surrounded by a group of demons at least over a dozen strong, and just when they were about to be taken care of (Sam carted off to Lucifer and Dean killed) all of them had died. Simply fallen over, dead. Sam could have sworn hearing a snap, and the rustling of feathers before the demons fell…

"Or what about the fact that you haven't paid for gas since Gabriel agreed to help us?" Sam said. It was true; no matter how far they had driven, every time they'd gotten in the car, the Impala was still on F. It was actually surprising how much money they had saved when they weren't paying for gas for the old car.

Dean looked pissed that Sam has brought the car into it; their argument didn't need to involve Baby.

"What happened to you being okay with working with Gabriel?" Sam asked.

"Working with him is not the same thing as being okay with him…doing inappropriate things with my little brother! Come on, man, you know how con-men work! That's what we are! He's dangerous and you have a terrible track record when it comes to what you sleep with!" Dean snarled.

Sam looked like he had just been smacked across the face. The look of hurt and betrayal that flashed across his face made Dean hate himself for causing that look, but he had to get Sam to understand.

"The last person you had a relationship with was Ruby, and she tricked you into ending the world. What the hell could Gabriel, a professional Trickster and Archangel, manipulate you into doing? No, I'm sorry Sam, but I've got to watch out for you since you can't seem to do it yourself."

The color drained out of Sam's face. With an angry scoff he walked towards the door, grabbing his jacket and angrily shoving his arms into the sleeves, without saying a word to Dean.

"Sam," Dean started to say, but Sam whipped around and focused a stare of such cold fury onto his brother's face that Dean was struck mute. He swallowed nervously, realizing he might have just pushed Sam too far and was now unsure he could reel his brother back. "Sam, wait—"

"You keep bringing up the fact that I started the Apocalypse, like I haven't had that weighing on me since the second Lilith died. You really think I might have forgotten that little detail, Dean? Because I haven't.

"Every day, it's like I'm a punching bag, and I beat myself up about my mistakes. And if I don't feel like I deserve this beating, then the angels do. And if I manage to not catch the angels' attention that day, then Lucifer rubs it in my face in my dreams. And then, if I manage to stay up after all those hits, you come along and deal the final blow." Sam said in a quiet voice, his calm tone revealing just how close he was to kicking Dean's ass all over the room.

Dean stood there, disgusted with himself, but unable to back down and unsure what to do.

Sam glared at him, and put his hand on the doorknob, then paused. "Everyone likes to remind me that I killed Lilith, but no one seems to remember that you started this too, Dean. You broke the first seal, remember? We are both just as guilty as the other, yet I never bring it up because I know you're dealing with that aftermath all the time. You have nightmares, you barely sleep, your drinking is becoming a real problem. I don't kick you when you're down, Dean, so why do you feel the need to do it to me?"

Sam left those bitter words in the air as he wrenched the door open, and slammed it behind his hurrying form. Not wanting Dean to follow, he ran as fast as possible from the motel. His jacket flapped around him and his feet sounded like thunder on the pavement as he ran across the empty street towards a small patch of trees.

Once the motel was out of sight, obscured by trees and bushes, he stopped and started pacing around, growling and grunting in anger. He kicked at a rock and sent it flying through the air, and he was trying desperately not to cry. They ignored him though, and Sam felt the hot tears fall down his face. He picked up another rock and threw it as hard as possible, allowing all the bottled up emotions to be released at that moment.

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><p>Gabriel felt the prayer rather than heard it, and he knew something was terribly wrong. Sam hadn't prayed to him, not in the traditional sense, but his soul had cried out with such force that Gabriel was up and flying before he'd even realized what had called him. Sam was suffering, and that was all Gabriel needed to know. Luckily, he hadn't been in the middle of a job (not that it would have mattered—the trickster would have dropped everything anyway to race to Sam's side).<p>

Gabriel appeared in a little patch of woods, and he looked around the recent damage, taking it in and trying to figure out what might have happened.

Small bushes were ripped out of the ground, large rocks thrown about, a few low-hanging tree branches had been ripped right off the trees themselves and tossed about. Now more worried than curious, he turned around and saw Sam Winchester, huddled on the ground in the middle of the carnage. He sat on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest and arms wrapped around his body; quiet, shuddering breaths came from his chest.

It was such a shock to see the calm and happy brother so distraught that Gabriel was frozen solid in shock for a good ten seconds. He reached out with his Grace to see where Dean was, but was surprised to see the older Winchester about half a mile away and still very much alive. Something had driven Sam to this breaking point, though, and Gabriel realized that he was going to kill whatever it was.

"This is one hell of a temper tantrum, Samsquatch," Gabriel said slowly, quietly as too not spoke the hunter. "What in the world did the shrubbery ever do to you?" he tried to joke.

Sam looked up, and the archangel saw just how red his eyes were, the tear stains down his face. Sam tried to wipe them away, suddenly ashamed to be caught in such a state by the archangel himself. "Gabriel, uh…what're…what are you doing here?"

Gabriel was suddenly kneeling at Sam's side. "You called me, Sambo."

Sam tilted his head curiously. "Wait, what?"

Gabriel tapped his chin, trying to figure out how to explain it without scaring the poor Winchester off. He decided, for once, that honestly was probably the best policy. "Well, Sam, the best way I describe it is that your soul called out to me, and I answered. Sort of an unconscious prayer thing."

"I—prayed to you?" Sam said, unsure how to react to that. He looked so embarrassed, it was downright adorable. "I, uh, I didn't mean to—drag you from work."

"No biggie, Samikins. Just finished up a job myself," Gabriel said in a dismissive tone.

"But, how did I do that? And did anyone else hear it? Oh, God, did _Lucifer_ hear that?" Sam asked in a horrified tone. His eyes darted around, suddenly expecting the Devil to appear next to them.

Gabriel put his hands up to keep Sam from bolting. "Easy there, big guy, no need to give yourself an aneurysm! That S.O.S. was for me only."

"I'm sorry," Sam said again. "I didn't…I didn't mean to be a bother," the hunter said with downcast eyes, trying to take several deep breathes to calm himself.

"What happened, Sam?" Gabriel asked. He didn't like seeing the hunter in such a vulnerable state. His hand gravitated to Sam's shoulder and he patted it in a slightly awkward/comforting fashion.

"Dean," Sam said in a huff, trying to sound nonchalant but his voice cracked at his brother's name.

Even though the layers of clothes, Sam could feel Gabriel's hand pause and then become hard with anger. Looking through his bangs, wet with sweat from his outburst, Sam saw the righteous fury in the archangel's eyes on his behalf. The realization that that anger was on his behalf made Sam suddenly feel a little better.

"What did he do?" Gabriel asked incredulously. "I've seen you two fight and I don't think I've ever seen deforestation like this before."

The tears had stopped as he let out a low chuckle; Sam's breathing was mostly back to normal now. Feelings of frustration and betrayal were now becoming embarrassment, but Gabriel didn't shy away from Sam. Though he didn't seem sure what to do, exactly, he didn't seem to be a rush to run away, either.

So, Sam explained what it was like being under house arrest for the past weeks and argument with Dean which was the straw that broke the camel's back. The whole time he could see Gabriel's eyes change from warm amber to sharp gold. Sam half expected the archangel to go smite his brother as soon as he was done talking.

"Don't tempt me, Sam," Gabriel said. His tone was strained; he was trying to make a joke of it, but the anger was too real and too raw for him to hide.

"Reading minds isn't nice," Sam said.

"It's not mind-reading if you're practically _shouting_ your thoughts at me," Gabriel pointed out, but he smirked slightly. "I could go smite him, though. Just to teach him a lesson. I'd bring him right back, no one would know," he said to Sam, and the hunter actually let out a little chuckle.

"Dean's an asshole, but I wouldn't let you do that to him."

"You are, literally, too good for your own good sometimes, Sam," Gabriel said with a little chuckle. It was more in amazement, to be honest.

"Yeah, well, give Dean half a chance and he'll convince you otherwise."

Gabriel stood in front of Sam. He held Sam's face in his hands, forcing the young Winchester to look at the archangel. "Sam, you did the right thing. Your brother needs to be reminded sometimes that people screw up, himself included. But he also needs to be reminded that people can learn from their past mistakes. That's why I do the work I do. It doesn't happen often but people do change for the better."

His eyes softened a little, and his warm hands seemed to dry the rogue tears that once in a while leaked from Sam's hazel eyes. "I'm sorry, Sam. I didn't realize your brother would be such an ass about us. I wasn't trying to do that to you."

"Are you saying that, if you'd known Dean would react like this, you wouldn't have slept with me?" Sam asked. His eyes got that hurt look again.

"I'm saying I would be rigged it so we wouldn't have gotten caught!" Gabriel said, laughing. "You're awesome, Sam! And I won't let your bone-headed brother make you think any differently about yourself."

Gabriel offered a hand to Sam. Sam hesitated for a second (mostly because he wasn't sure how little Gabriel was going to help his giant body off the ground). With surprising strength, Gabriel hauled Sam to his feet without hesitation. The hunter wiped off his face and dusted off his jeans and jacket.

With a snap, Gabriel replanted the rocks and bushes, and returned the tossed limbs to the trees, leaving the spot in pristine condition. "Remind me never to piss you off, there, Banner," Gabriel joked, and Sam blushed sheepishly.

"I, uh, normally don't do that," he said.

"Yeah, I've noticed. Figured if you had it in you this whole time, you would have ripped me limb from limb after Mystery Spot than simply beg for your brother back. By the way, regretting that yet?"

Sam gave Gabriel a look, and the archangel realized that those particular jokes were still off the table.

"Well, now that your emotional crisis seems averted for now, what do you want to do?" Gabriel asked, removing his hand from Sam's shoulder and watching the hunter curiously.

Sam ran a hand through his hair, hating the stiffness of his hair as it dried from the sweat from earlier. "I don't know. I'm not ready to deal with Dean. I suppose if I call Bobby I could stay at his place for a while. I just…I need some time to deal with all this, you know?"

Gabriel nodded in understanding. Suddenly, his eyes lit up at a thought and Sam was suddenly a little nervous. "I've got an idea! How about a little vacation from Dean? You two have been super-glued to each other's side since he came back from the basement, and before that you two never separated for long. You're too dependent on each other! So, why don't you come with me? For like a week or so?"

Sam's eyes opened wide. "With you? Like, with…you, with you?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I think I've been overestimating your ability to understand English, Sam. Yes! With. Me. Come on, it'll be fun, and we won't have to worry about Dean-o walking in on us again," he said with a mischievous smile.

"Dean will kill me if I run off with you after that fight. But, I couldn't live with myself if something happened to Dean while I was gone. Not to mention the fact that it's the end of the world."

"Nothing will happen to your brother. And I can rewind the time back to this exact moment, so he'll never know you were gone, and the end will still be neigh! You'll simply be in a better place to deal this this shit when you're back."

Sam looked at Gabriel, who was beaming in pride at his brilliant plan. He knew he should have been wary of the archangel, especially at the idea of being 'whisked away' by him to parts unknown and no one knowing where he was.

And yet, he was honestly considering it. Sam wanted to time to himself, away from his life and responsibilities. He wanted away from the Apocalypse. He wanted to get away from Heaven, and Hell, and Lucifer, and Dean.

Sam wanted to get away, and he wanted to do it with Gabriel. After all, the Trickster still brought Dean back after the Mystery Spot, he was still helping them like he said he would. He kept his promises, and so far, he was the most trustworthy being on Sam's side right now.

Sam looked at Gabriel, a sigh escaping him. "Gabriel, I can't," he said, sounding upset with himself. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to get it out of his face, and tried not to look at the disappointment on the angel's face. "It'll just prove his point, that I'm a runaway who can't hack my mistakes. It'll give him ammo for later."

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest, and managed to give Sam his most potent pout he had (lip quiver and wide eyes included), hoping it would sway the wary Winchester.

It did manage to make Sam laugh, which, in the end, was completely worth it.

"Alright, spoil sport! But, you don't have to go back just yet. We can let him stew in his juices for another hour. Why don't we do something fun, get your mind off of the drama?"

Sam's eyes lightened up at the thought. "Uh, what did you have in mind?"

Gabriel smiled widely, and bowed. "Anything you want! Trickster Archangel here, remember? I can pretty much give you whatever you want, and take you wherever you'd like to visit. Just say the word, kiddo!"

Images of faraway places flashed in Sam's mind, places like the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Wall of China, the Himalayan Mountains, and dozens others. Reading about exotic places in books always made him want to travel there, but at this moment, it wasn't those places he wanted.

Instead, he let out a sheepish chuckle, and glanced at Gabriel's eyes a little nervously. "Anywhere in the world, huh? Well, how about…your place?"

Gabriel let out a surprised laugh. "You never cease to surprise, kiddo. But, sure, my place," the Trickster said, and with a snap of his fingers they were gone from the forest clearing.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sam stumbled when the scenery around him changed from a clearing in a patch of woods to the living room of a large apartment. The motif was mostly black and white, with a few red pieces (like the cushions on the extra-long couch to a red rug on the tiled floor) for accentuation. There were shelves with trinkets and bottles and boxes and jars, and everything was a little chaotic looking.

Sam looked around curiously, and at first was a bit underwhelmed by the normality of the living room. There was the couch, a red reclining chair, a very impressive home theater system with a huge flat screen mounted on the wall. There were bookshelves and shelves everywhere, though, and Sam's eyes widened in awe when he realized the books were first editions of exceptionally rare magic spell books and ancient encyclopedias.

The myriad of jars and boxes could have held any number of rare spell ingredients. Sam's weariness from the fight with Dean was replaced with the urge to leaf through all the books and see what was inside all the containers.

"Usually you wait until the third date _before_ you rifle through someone's personal affects, Sammy," Gabriel teased, and Sam turned to see Gabriel had already removed his jacket and shoes, and was holding two mugs of steaming liquid. The earthy, grassy aroma confirmed his suspicions they were tea.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect," Sam apologized, feeling like an even bigger idiot than letting Gabriel see him cry.

"Disrespect? Hardly! It's actually sorta nice to think my old junk is interesting to _someone_," Gabriel said with a grin. He motioned at Sam with the mug of tea. "Now, ditch the jacket and those boats you call shoes, and let's relax."

Sam nodded, and as Gabriel sank into the cushions of his couch, Sam pulled off his shoes and placed them under the coffee table, and hung his jacket over the back of the recliner. Moving a little stiffly from caution, he gingerly sat on the couch next to Gabriel, expecting to hear the springs creak or pop under his weight, but instead it felt like he was sitting on a cloud. It actually made him sigh happily as he leaned against the back.

"Wow, if the couch is that impressive wait until you see the bed!" Gabriel said with a wink, making Sam's eyes widen in both curiosity and embarrassment. _Is this really the same Winchester who is such a dom in bed?_ Gabriel thought to himself with a little chuckle. It looked like Sam was an enigma wrapped in a mystery when it came to matters of the bedroom.

Gabriel handed the hunter one of the mugs and he took it suspiciously, breathing in the scent and trying to determine if something was wrong with it. "It's safe Sam," Gabriel assured him, taking a sip. "We've already established that we're into each other vis-à-vis sex, what exactly would be the point of slipping you a ruffie?"

"Sorry, Gabriel, can't be too careful," Sam said, and he finally took a long drag. Sam was used to coffee, so the tea tasted strange anyway, but without sugar or cream it was very bitter on his tongue. He swallowed it quickly and tried not to make a disgusted face.

Gabriel laughed, and with a snap there was a little jar of sugar with a spoon, several packets of artificial sweetener, and a little jar of cream. "You could just ask, knuckle-head," the archangel said with some affection in his voice.

Sam doctored the tea to his liking, and soon both where drinking the tea quietly. It was the longest time Gabriel had stayed silent in Sam's presence, but he was probably trying to give the hunter some time to think.

"I know you're a coffee kind of guy," Gabriel said, "but I figured since this isn't for late-night lore research session, I thought tea might help you relax a little."

"I appreciate the sentiment," Sam said sincerely. "You don't strike me as a tea-drinker, though?"

"I'm not. But, with enough sugar, anything is palatable," Gabriel admitted, and Sam leaned over to see his liquid was clouded with swirling sugar.

Sam tried to ignore the fact that Gabriel had just made something for Sam because he wanted to help him relax, and not for himself. He smiled at the thought.

Sam heard a little clicking noise of something scurrying over the tiled floor. He tensed up, his hunter's instincts kicking in as he readied himself for an attack.

He was certainly attacked…when an overenthusiastic Jack Russell terrier jumped up onto the couch next to Sam. The hunter let out a surprised sound that turned to delight when the dog waddled up to Sam and started nuzzling him and licking his hand.

"You have a dog!" Sam said in surprise, putting his tea on the coffee table before them so he could let the dog smell his hands. When the dog started licking them frantically, Sam grinned and started to pet and rub the dog all over his long and stout shape. His entire body swayed side-to-side in his excitement, almost falling off the couch.

"Rascal, you're stealing all of Daddy's attention," Gabriel said in a stern tone, but the dog ignored him. He rolled onto his back, letting out a happy bark when Sam started scratching the soft underbelly in earnest.

"Well, you'll never get rid of him now, Winchester," Gabriel said in mock sadness.

Sam looked at Gabriel with a rare, genuine smile on his face. His fight with Dean was forgotten, his troubles with the angels and demons, his destiny as Lucifer's vessel, it was all forgotten. For a few minutes Sam just enjoyed the feel of a fuzzy and loving dog under his fingertips and Gabriel's smart-ass commentary from the other side of the couch.

Finally, Rascal decided he'd had enough love and bounded off the bed to disappear down a hallway that Sam had missed before. He also noticed a small kitchen behind the living room, and suddenly his stomach rumbled loudly. He hadn't eaten almost all day.

"Well, Sam, sounds like you're sticking around for dinner!" Gabriel said cheerfully. He snapped and the tea mugs disappeared, then he made his way towards the kitchen. "Got anything in particular you're craving tonight, kiddo?" Gabriel asked.

Sam stood up and walked the few steps into the kitchen, looking around but not noticing any groceries or anything, really. "Um, well, what do you have?"

Gabriel held up his hand, ready to snap. "Anything you want!"

"Don't you ever make food yourself?" Sam asked curiously.

Gabriel shrugged. "Once in a while the urge strikes, hence the kitchen. For the most part, I whip up what I want when I want it. Beats having to wait for it to cook."

Sam nodded. The tea had been nice, and he was getting pretty hungry. "How about a nice garden salad, with some garlic bread sticks?"

"Not exactly a mind-blowing first choice there, Sam, but we'll get creative later," Gabriel teased. He snapped his fingers, and there was suddenly a table and two chairs on either side.

On one side was a huge plate with the biggest and more colorful salad Sam had ever seen, full of every kind of vegetable he could think of, and even fruits. In the middle of the table was a basket of fresh from-the-oven breadsticks, golden in color and smelling delicious, especially with the hint of garlic. There was a glass of water and a beer, and Gabriel motioned for Sam to sit.

"Enjoy, Sam!" Gabriel said, and they sat in their seats across from each other. Sam noticed Gabriel actually had a plate of spaghetti and meatballs, which where the size of tennis balls.

Sam started at the food warily, able to hear Bobby's voice in the back of his mind. _Don't eat food from a supernatural bein' ya idjit! Didn't you pay attention to Persephone and Hades?_

Gabriel noticed Sam's frown. "Kiddo, I get it. You're a hunter; I'm technically a villainous Trickster. I suppose it's too much to ask to just break bread and have a nice little meal together?" Gabriel honestly sounded a little saddened by the idea.

The hunter in question opened his mouth, and instead of saying _yes_, he instead said "Sorry, mind passing me the garlic bread?"

Everything was delicious and fresh; the vegetables were crisp and cool, the beer cold, and the breadsticks warm and fluffy inside, the garlic coating left a nice bite of flavor on his tongue.

Dinner wasn't exactly a quiet affair. When Gabriel wasn't talking a hundred miles an hour, he was slurping his spaghetti noodles as loudly as possible.

"Gabriel, that's not polite," Sam admonished the archangel.

Gabriel slurped a noddle extra loudly for that, and made a face at the hunter. "In Japan it's considered polite to slurp loudly, to show the chef you enjoyed the meal."

"Yeah we'll, this isn't Japan. Wait, is it?" Sam asked, suddenly curious where Gabriel would actually settle down.

Gabriel simply wiggled his eyebrows, giving Sam his standard non-answer for everything.

Sam swallowed his latest bite (and a little bit of nerves) before asking "Gabriel, where've you been all this time? Why didn't you come back?"

Gabriel didn't answer for a moment; he simply shrugged until he finished his meatball. "Didn't really think Dean wanted me around after almost catching us, Samikins. After all, that guy actually knows how to kill me now—space seemed like the best thing. So, I've been working. But, if you're that much of an exhibitionist you should've told me—we could have worked something out sooner!" Gabriel said with a raucous laugh, making Sam sigh.

He didn't mention the fact that he was giving Sam space too—Sam could've easily changed his mind about being with the Trickster after Dean walked in on them. Gabriel didn't want to be around while a hunter sorted out the multitude of morality issues associated with sleeping with the enemy. So, he gave Sam space to figure out how he wanted to play things.

"You mean, you've been playing Trickster, killing people?" Sam asked, though there was a hard edge to the question.

"There's other things going on in the world besides me giving assholes their just desserts. And I don't always kill them," Gabriel pointed out. "Just the real dirt-bags."

Before Sam could bring up anything else about Gabriel less-than-illustrious career, Rascal came back and Gabriel started throwing chucks of meatball at the dog whenever he completed a trick. ("Sit, roll over, do the hokey-pokey").

"Why do you have a dog?" Sam asked curiously between bites of salad.

Gabriel leaned down and scratched behind the dog's ears. "From a job, actually. He was the runt of a little from a notorious puppy mill. When the guy running it tried to kill this little guy by throwing him and all his rejected siblings in a river, he slipped and drowned instead. The dogs managed to survive, but this little guy…he was barely a week old. Didn't even have his eyes open yet, did you, boy? So, I took him in."

Sam smiled as he watched Gabriel play with the little dog. Eventually, Rascal managed to run off with an entire meatball in his mouth, trotting proudly down the hallway to a little doggie bed where he collapsed and started chewing it apart.

"Little ingrate!" Gabriel said in a playfully threatening tone. "This is the thanks I get for letting you live here with free room and board?!"

Sam was laughing so hard he could hardly breathe, and it felt really good to laugh at nothing. He looked down at his salad, only half eaten but he was stuffed and content.

"Finished?" Gabriel asked, and Sam nodded. With a snap, the food and dishes were gone. "Magic, gotta love it," the archangel said with a grin.

"You're an enigma," Sam said, and Gabriel looked at him curiously. "I mean, you kill people for a living, yet here you are, taking in stray puppies and trying to cheer up a guy who's tried to kill you in the past. What gives?"

Gabriel laughed. "Like you said, guess I'm an enigma. A dashingly handsome and brilliant enigma, mind you, but one just the same. And I don't kill everyone! Most of the time they're just stupid and get themselves killed. Monsters aren't black and white, Sam. You understand that better than most."

"Yeah," Sam said quietly, looking a little saddened suddenly. "Just wish Dean would see that too, you know?"

"Speaking of your asshole brother, it's been over an hour since your argument with him. Do you think he's been in time out long enough?"

"He's probably at a bar," Sam said automatically.

"So…he won't miss you for a little while longer?" Gabriel asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Sam laughed at Gabriel, but he felt a little thrill of desire run through his body as well. "I suppose I have some time," the hunter said nonchalantly.

"Glad to see you could make some time in your busy schedule for me." Gabriel said with a smirk. He stood up and walked purposefully to where Sam was sitting, and grabbed the hunter behind his head and brought him into a passionate kiss. It took Sam a couple seconds to get with the program (he was still getting used to the idea that he was kissing Gabriel, an archangel, who was the Trickster), but once did they both ended up panting slightly when they broke apart.

"Speaking of enigmas, there's something I'm having trouble figuring out," Gabriel whispered in Sam's ear, licking the hunter's neck and making him shudder. "Are you a top or a bottom? Because right now I'm getting some mixed signals. Not that I mind, certainly makes things more interesting when your more flexible on those sorts of things," Gabriel said. He was starting to ramble, so Sam leaned forward and kissed him quiet with a slightly rougher kiss, even nipping the angel's lips throughout.

"I'm whatever keeps you quiet, except when you're saying my name uncontrollably," Sam whispered into the archangel's ear; Gabriel's face flushed in carnal delight.

"So, you're tall, handsome, smart as hell, and sexually flexible? I think I hit the home run!"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sam stood on the doorstep of the shared motel room with his brother and fidgeted with his shirt collar once more. He hoped he had managed to pull it up in a way that both hid the love bite Gabriel had left on him, while also not looking like he was trying to hide anything.

They had only divulged into having a pretty intense make-out session on that heavenly couch; Gabriel put the brakes on if anything more than some heavy petting started to happen. Gabriel seemed like he was making Sam wait until the coast was clear with Dean, which had left him fidgeting from both nerves and leftover horniness.

Giving up on the collar, Sam put on his best "I'm still pissed" face and swiped his card into their room. He was surprised to find Dean sitting on the edge of his bed, the angel Castiel sitting next to him. Though neither was doing anything remotely suspicious, they both looked vaguely uncomfortable when Sam walked in.

"Oh, uh, Cas, hey," Sam said. He hadn't seen the angel in a while, and he smiled unconsciously. "How goes the hunt for God?"

Cas dipped his head in greeting. "It goes," he said simply, and even though angels never got tired, Sam thought that Cas was looking a little more haggard than usual. His eyes weren't quite as intense, his shoulders were just a touch slumped. Otherwise the angel looked normal.

"I hear that you and your brother have been arguing again," Cas also said, and the horribly betrayed look on Dean's face was too much for Sam to stand. He had to let out a loud laugh at that face.

"Cas, I told you that in strict confidence!" Dean said, eyes wide in dismay that he'd been caught _talking about his feelings_.

Cas glanced at Dean, and Sam could have sworn a glint of humor light up his blue eyes. "You should have specified that earlier, then."

"I-!" Irritated, Dean stood up and brushed past towards the fridge for another bottle of beer. As he ripped off the cap and drowned his embarrassment with the alcohol, Castiel turned towards Sam, who had flopped back onto his own double.

"Sam, do you feel that Gabriel is using you? Tricking you, perhaps?"

The grin on Sam's face faltered for a moment as he shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I think he honestly wants to help us. He doesn't want this fight to happen, and he's staying out of it the best he can. If he sides with us, he's not choosing between his own brothers."

"Sam, that doesn't mean you need the sleep with the guy!" Dean snapped.

"Why do you suddenly care, Dean? Honestly, you've never cared before!

"I care because you like to sleep with the enemy and I don't want to see you get hurt again, okay?!" Dean said. He took a long drag of his beer, and sat on the end of the bed next to Castiel.

"Gabriel is not our enemy, Dean," Cas said, his stoic voice seemed to soften a little. "In fact, he might be our only ally. If Sam's affection is the reason for his sudden involvement in this war, it's a cheap price for heavenly intervention."

Dean looked at Castiel for a long time, and in a rare moment Cas raised his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders in a _Don't you think so?_ gesture that was so naturally human Sam almost asked "Jimmy? That you?"

Sam kept his face impassive, trying not to think about the fact that an Angel of the Lord and his older brother were discussing his feelings like they were commodities to be traded on the floor of the Wall Street stock exchange. He couldn't help but fidget uncomfortably on the bed as the silence dragged on.

Dean finished his beer, then turned towards Sam. "Alright already! Okay, just…look, you can't get mad at me because I want to protect you, okay? I've been doing it since you were a baby, Sam. You can't expect me to just turn that off."

"I can when it comes to who I'm sleeping with," Sam said.

"Yeah, okay, look, I'm not thrilled with this idea. In fact, I don't like it one bit, but…we're outnumbered here, and we need all the help we can get. I just…for the love of God, Sam, don't let me _see_ you!"

"What happened to that whole 'it's a beautiful and natural thing, Sammy?'" Sam teased, and Dean rolled his eyes.

"You can't use my dying words against me!"

Before Sam could retort, there was a loud _SNAP!_ Dozens of balloons along with confetti rained down from the ceiling. All three of them jumped up, though Dean and Cas were looking for a fight while Sam was looking for a trickster.

Sam burst into laughter when he saw Cas and Dean wearing matching 'This isn't funny' looks while colorful strips of paper rained down on their shoulders and hair. On Castiel it looked even funnier.

"I take back everything I said, Asshat of the Lord!" Dean bellowed, and Gabriel instantly appeared before them, snapping a picture with an old-fashioned camera before it disappeared. Seemed like Gabriel loved to take pictures when his pranks when off without a hitch.

"First of all, you really shouldn't take our Dad's name in vain when speaking to an archangel. We're twitchy about that. Secondly, lighten up Winchester!" Gabriel said, smacking Dean in the shoulder good-naturedly, though Dean rubbed it tenderly afterwards.

"Little Castiel! First an angelic soldier and now a couple's counselor? Is there nothing you can't do?" Gabriel teased as a balloon slowly descended and gently tumbled off Castiel's head.

Castiel looked at the balloons covering the floor and the confetti on everyone's shoulders. "You had a humorous streak before, but I don't remember you being this…garish."

Gabriel looked wounded. "Heaven did a real number on your sense of humor, little bro. You used to like my tricks!"

Castiel frowned in thought, more than likely trying to remember that far back. Since he was distracted and Dean looked only mildly irritated, the archangel decided to see how quickly he could make Dean have a heart attack.

"So, Sam, feel like doin' the horizontal mambo later?" Gabriel asked bluntly as he wiggled his eyebrows.

Sam burst into laughter at Dean's wide eyes and shocked expression. "Oh no! No, no, no, our motel room is off limits! This," he said, waving his hands wildly in the air to indicate the room, "this is neutral territory, got it?"

"It is while you're here," Gabriel replied, and Dean's face turned to a shade of beet red.

"No, it is _at all times_! Our motel room, and the _Impala_, is completely off limits to any sex-related activities and thoughts!"

"Does that include yours? It's only fair if it includes both parties."

Before Dean could pop a blood vessel, Sam stepped in to help. "Alright, Gabriel. You've had your fun, now could you please clean this mess up?" he asked, indicating the balloons and paper that was peppered all over the small motel room.

The archangel rolled his eyes, but with a snap the mess was gone. "Spoil sport," he grumbled.

"Thank you," Sam said.

"No PDA!" Dean barked suddenly as the idea occurred to him. As his brother and the trickster turned towards him, he pointed at them with his finger as threateningly as he could manage. "I mean it! None. No contact of any sort and for the love of God don't start with pet names."

"What, you mean I can't call Gabriel 'my sugar daddy'?" Sam asked with a completely straight face.

"And I can't call Sam 'my strapping boy-toy?"

The disgusted look on Dean's face only prompted them to make-up more outlandish names as they now tried to one up each other.

"What about…'kitten pickles?" Sam suggested.

"Or my 'snuggle sausage'?" Gabriel asked.

"Oh, um, how about 'honey bunches of cuddle muffin'?"

"What about 'my golden Apollo'? Oh, wait, Sammysaurus Rex!" Gabriel exclaimed, though he could barely choke out the words around his laughter. Sam was already rolling on the floor, tears streaming from his eyes, unable to keep up anymore. It looked like Gabriel might have been able to keep going for a while, once he stopped laughing.

Dean no longer looked furious as he seemed to be shaking, though whether it was from trying not to laugh or yell at them Sam had no idea.

Castiel actually allowed a small grin to flash across his face at the convulsing bodies racked with laughter. He patted Dean's shoulder in a reassuring manner, making the hunter look at him with a '_what the hell did I start?_' face.

"At least they seem to be getting along. There are worse things Gabriel could be doing—trying to embarrass you is the least of his abilities."

"Yeah, don't have to remind me. He killed me a hundred times in a row to teach Sam a lesson. Not that it made any impression on 'Sammysaurus Rex' over there."

Sam got to his feet and gaped at Dean.

Dean shrugged. "It had a nice ring to it."

Before Sam could retort, Gabriel grabbed the hunter's hand and shot a cheeky grin at Dean and Castiel. "Welp, adios amigos! Sammysaurus and I have a lot of catching up to do. Don't worry, I'll bring him back _mostly_ able to walk," Gabriel said. Before Dean could even turn red or open his mouth to yell, Sam and Gabriel were gone.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

They appeared in Gabriel's living room seconds later, and Sam was doubled-over in laughter.

"Dean's face-! Gabriel, he's going to _kill_ you when we get back!" Sam said.

"Eh, let him pop a blood vessel, I'll just resurrect him," Gabriel said casually. "I'm just glad that idiot isn't cock-blocking us anymore, I was starting to get _impatient_," the archangel said with a dark and dangerous tone to his voice.

"Impatient?" Sam asked as he straightened himself up.

Gabriel's hand reached up, grabbed the taller man around the back of the neck, and dragged him down into a rough and dirty kiss that was all heat and tongue. When Sam finally broke free, panting, even Gabriel looked a little dazed.

"Wowzers," Gabriel said with a growing grin. "Let's just say I've wanted to jump your bones for a while, Winchester," he said, staring at Sam's lips, swollen red from the kiss.

"No kidding?" Sam asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice and a bright grin on his face. "I had no idea, Gabe."

The archangel looked at him and raised an eyebrow at the nickname. "Really, you think you can just get away with giving an Archangel of the Lord a nickname as lame as 'Gabe'?"

Sam shrugged. "Gabriel sounds too formal, so Gabe it is."

"You know, I've smote people for lesser offenses, Winchester," Gabriel said, his voice low and threatening, but his eyes were bright and cheerful, ruining the illusion.

"I've no doubt. But I'm calling your bluff, _Gabe_," Sam said, teasing him.

Gabriel huffed. "It's not fun if you aren't scared, Sam!"

Sam grinned and ducked his head down, crashing his lips onto Gabriel's. It wasn't quite the dominance dance it was their first time, and it wasn't exactly a tender thing either. Gabriel answered with hands that started to roam all over the other's back. His roughly grabbing Sam's ass cheek broke the kiss, but it was obvious from their lust-filled eyes and the bulges in their pants that they were anything but done.

"Would like to continue this discussion in that awesome bed you were bragging about last time," Sam said, voice husky from want.

"Hells yes!" Gabriel agreed, and with a snap they were in the archangel's bedroom.

The room was mostly empty from the cursory glance Sam got, but his attention was focused on the enormous California King bed in the middle of the room. The bed was large enough for Sam to stretch out comfortably on and not his feet hanging off the edge like usual. It had blood red sheets that were normally only seen in pornos, and enough pillows to create an impressive pillow fort. Sam wondered if that might have been their real purpose.

Another interesting part of the room was the tall row of open windows that looked out over a sea of lights and buildings—they were in the penthouse suite of a huge skyscraper, overlooking a city.

"Where are we?" Sam asked curiously, his eyes taken in by the millions of twinkling gold lights across the black silhouettes of buildings.

Gabriel opened his mouth to answer but Sam put a finger over his lips. "Never mind, I'm going to see if I can figure it out myself."

"…Now?" Gabriel asked, shoulders falling just a little when it looked like he was about to lose Sam to his scholarly instincts.

"The city isn't going anywhere," Sam said with a friendly chuckle. The cityscape they overlooked was forgotten as Gabriel suddenly pulled the jacket off of Sam's shoulders and nipped his exposed neck, clearly happy that Sam wasn't distracted.

Shivers of pleasure ran through Sam as the teeth grazed and nibbled his skin, and he didn't even care that his jacket was now on a heap on the floor. His hazel eyes ran over the bed again, and he caught glimpse of a black and white spot near the edge of the mattress.

"Gabriel," Sam said, trying to dislodge the angel from doing awful things to his neck with his tongue. "We've got company," he said, mirth in his voice.

Gabriel broke away and glared at the spot on the bed. Rascal was watching them, head titled curiously as he blinked slowly a couple times.

"Rascal, get!" Gabriel said.

Sam opened the bedroom door, motioning for the little dog to leave. The dog paused for a moment to stare at them before jumping down and trotting out. "Little fuzzy voyeur," Gabriel muttered.

"Hey, at least we saw him before we sat on him," Sam said with a laugh as he closed the door.

"Yeah, nothing kills the mood more that actually crushing my dog while in the middle of sex," Gabriel said in agreement as he came to sit on the edge of the bed. "Now that we're alone, let's get back to the fun at hand!"

With a snap of Gabriel's fingers Sam's shirts, shoes, and socks disappeared, yet his jeans remained. Gabriel was suddenly left in a white tank top and red silk boxers. Sam looked down at himself and arched an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Just admiring the view," Gabriel said with his honey eyes glazed over in lust. "Those jeans do amazing things to your ass."

Sam strode forward, muscles moving under his toned and tan skin, a mesmerizing show to watch. His arms reached around the smaller man and dragged him forward, on hand on the back of his head. "Too bad you're not going to see much of it, considering I'm going to be driving," Sam whispered into Gabriel's ear, the heat from the air only adding to the words effects.

Gabriel pulled back only slightly, giving Sam a challenging look. "Back off a string bean, Sam. When did I agree to that?" he said. The smirk on his lips made the tone teasing instead of condescending.

"I thought you liked my domineering side?" Sam said in a low voice, licking and nipping at the shell of Gabriel's ear. One large hand ran down his back, while the other pushed up his tank top to run over the Gabriel's stockier chest and stomach. Even Sam's simple touches felt like little trails of fire over his skin.

"Oh, kiddo, you've got no idea. But, maybe I want you to scream my name?" Gabriel said in a slight pant as Sam dragged his slick tongue over his neck and jawline. He could feel Sam smile.

"Why can't you have both?" the hunter suggested lightly, and sucked hard on Gabriel's jugular, tongue dancing over the skin when he broke away.

"What a saucy flirt!" Gabriel said with a laugh, which was swallowed up by Sam's lips on his own. The kiss became more intense, more frenzied as their hands roamed directionless over each other's skin, trails of warmth left behind. They managed to move to the middle of the bed without breaking their kiss, and Gabriel was starting to feel almost overwhelmed. Sam on his lips, Sam's tongue in his mouth and entwining with his own, Sam's large hand rubbing his cock through the silken boxers; Sam was everywhere, over him, around him. It was both a comforting and arousing feeling.

Sam rolled off of the archangel, leaving Gabriel suddenly cold and alone. He made an unappreciative noise about the fact, but Sam simply chuckled. He shucked his jeans and boxers off in one smooth motion and tossed them to the floor, Gabriel's tank top and boxers following suit right behind them.

Now both naked, Sam gave the archangel's stocky and slightly pudgy body an appraising look. Normally he liked fit partners, taller, lean and lithe so they could keep up with him and his…voracious appetite in bed. Yet, despite his appearance, Gabriel was an _archangel_. He could outpace Sam several thousand times over, and stamina wasn't even a concern.

"You're hot," Sam said with a grin, and that caught Gabriel a little off guard. He looked down at himself and shrugged.

"No need for flattery, Sam," Gabriel said with a grin, eyes bright. "You've already got me in bed."

"No, really. You're incredibly handsome and attractive," Sam said. "I couldn't give it much thought 'cause we were usually trying to kill each other….Wow, when I say that out loud it sounds like we have a pretty fucked up situation."

"Hey, you two started it. You tried to kill me first remember."

"Um, I'm pretty sure I remember a chainsaw guy and playboy bunnies gunning for us."

"Yeah, well, all I did was hide your computer and slash Dean's tires. Not exactly a death threat, Sam."

"It's all about perspective," Sam said and laughed when Gabriel eyed him up and down.

"Preachin' truth there, Sammy," the archangel said with a grin.

Sam's cheeks flushed red for a second—even though they'd technically had some bed-action before, this felt new. Maybe having Dean's okay made it seem more real, official? Either way, he wanted to map out every square inch of Gabriel's body and find all the places that made him squirm the most and moan the loudest.

Gabriel didn't have the time to tease him about being embarrassed when Sam was again all over him, mouths together and Sam's fingernails dragging up his dick slowly. The dry friction and hint of nail made him shiver as he arched up into the touch unconsciously.

Sam broke the kiss and moved his way down Gabriel's chest, sucking and licking on one nipple while pinching the other a little roughly, enjoying the sounds and squirming movements that archangel made while he worked.

He shuffled down on the bed, nestling himself between Gabriel's legs. Warm breath tickled the tiny hairs on his legs as Sam nipped and kissed his way up the archangel's thighs. Gabriel knew, no matter what happened after tonight, that Sam Winchester's hazel eyes almost black with lust as he lay nestled between his legs was going to be image he'd jerk off to for the next few _millennia_.

"Sam…" Gabriel moaned as the hunter's tongue dragged up and down his cock, teasing the sensitive skin over the veins. Sam sucked the top of the head, dug his tongue into the slit just so slightly, then would drag his tongue all the way to the angel's balls and suck on them for a moment. The rhythm was slow, _maddeningly_ slow.

"Sam, I know I'm immortal, but….I'm going to die of _old age_ if you don't pick up the pace!" Gabriel growled.

Sam answered by taking his entire length in his mouth in one fell swoop and sucking hard. That did a great job of shutting Gabriel up.

Sam's bobbing head didn't let up once he got a fast pace going. He alternated between deep-throating and let his spit-slick hand twist around the angel's dick while he mouthed the balls. All the teasing, the speed up and slow-down, worked Gabriel up to the edge of pleasure faster than he would've thought possible for someone with his sheer amount of sexual experience.

Then again, it was Sam who was sucking his dick and making those eyes at him. Previous experience could jump out of a window for all he cared. He tangled his hands in Sam's hair, unsure whether he was trying to pull him off or pull him closer. "Dammit, kiddo, you're gonna be the death of me!"

The younger man popped off with a lewd noise; Gabriel actually groaned at the loss of stimulation. The pre-come leaking from his tip showed just how close he really was.

Sam looked proud of himself as he wiped away the saliva around his lips with the back of his hand. "Where's all that talk of angelic stamina now?" Sam teased.

Gabriel shot him a look. "You really are a cocktease, aren't you?"

Sam simply grinned as he held out a hand to the angel. Gabriel snapped and a bottle of lube appeared in the hunter's hand. He slicked up a long finger and thread it between Gabriel's legs as he attacked Gabriel's neck again.

As Sam bit the angel's neck he circled Gabriel's hole and brushed the puckered skin just enough to make the other man shudder with the little shocks of pleasure. Licking the dark hickey on Gabriel's shoulder, Sam thrust a finger inside past the tight entrance. Gabriel didn't bother to stifle the moan. Sam alternated between vicious bites and gentle licks on the bruises as he scissored Gabriel open.

"You're so hot," Sam hissed under his breath. "Tight and hot," he said. "Fuck, I can't wait to get inside you, Gabe. Been wanting to for a while."

"What're you waiting for?" Gabriel asked, voice wrecked. "It's not like you can hurt me, remember?"

Sam paused for a moment, and Gabriel wiggled his hips to try and keep Sam's fingers thrusting. Twisting his hand slightly Sam pressed hard and Gabriel let out a howl—Sam found his prostate, and the hunter grinned in a feral way when he realized it.

"I kinda forgot that," Sam admitted. "And as much as I like to drive you through the bed and into the floor, I'm having a lot of fun doing _this_," he said with a mischievous smirk and a forceful press, sending Gabriel arching in pleasure as his prostate was brushed again.

"Sam! Samsamsammy," Gabriel said without breathing. He was getting close again, if Sam kept up the pace just a little longer—

Sam must've been psychic because he pulled his fingers free and Gabriel growled at the loss. "Stop teasing!" he commanded the hunter.

Sam's big form was suddenly on top of his own, and Sam's exceptionally wide and long cock was being shoved with reckless abandon into Gabriel's ass. The archangel arched as Sam slide balls deep inside him, the pressure delicious and almost painful all at once.

Sam's head lay cradled against Gabriel's shoulder for a second. The tightness and the heat were intense, but that wasn't the entire reason Sam felt like he was going to come almost instantly. This wasn't just some stranger he'd picked up at a bar or during a hunt, this was _Gabriel_, the dickish archangel he'd had a bit of a crush on since they'd met.

This was an _archangel_ he was buried to the hilt in, it was an archangel who was grabbing his ass and commanding him to _start moving_.

It was one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos that was shifting his hips and moaning Sam's name. If he wasn't careful, Sam could get drunk off the power he apparently had over the celestial being.

"Sam, we both know I like that big brain of yours, but you're thinking too much," Gabriel snarled. He shoved his hips up and made Sam groan in pleasure at the moment.

"Stop. Thinking. Start. Moving," Gabriel commanded in a husky voice, emphasizing each word with another hip thrust. If Sam didn't move, it seemed Gabriel was perfectly capable of fucking himself _with_ Sam. Not only was that idea hot—that this stocky guy was able to manhandle a big brute like Sam like he was nothing—but it also made him aggressive. If Gabriel wanted to be fucked, Sam was going to give him _exactly_ what he wanted.

The hunter relented to instinct and began a punishing rhythm for Gabriel to keep up with. He was pounding into Gabriel so hard they were bouncing on the bed, and he could hear the heavy wooden frame knocking against the wall in time to his thrusts. If they weren't careful the bedframe might actually embed itself _in_ the wall.

"Sam, Sam….oh, fuck, please Sam…." Gabriel muttered, babbling a stream of sounds as Sam brought him to the edge for the third time that night. Gabriel's English started becoming infused with Enochian, and seeing Gabriel lose control like that only made Sam harder, made him snap his hips faster. Soon, Gabriel wasn't even making coherent sentences, just half words and moans.

Sam's hazel eyes locked onto Gabriel's gold ones, and it was the possessive lust and hint of adoration in those eyes that made Gabriel come with Sam's name on his lips. His cock jerked as white coated their bellies, and he felt Sam's hips snap a couple times more before he also came. Sam trembled over him, and after a few still moments the hunter got up enough energy to roll off Gabriel and flop next to him.

"Holy shit that was awesome," Sam said with a tired grin, sweat plastering his hair to his neck and forehead.

"Those are supposed to be my words!" Gabriel said with a wink. With a tired wave the drying come was gone. "I've slept with plenty of beings during my time on this planet, but that was definitely in my top 5."

Sam smirked. "Only top 5? Guess I my work cut out for me if I want to be number 1."

"I have full confidence in your ability to succeed," Gabriel said.

Sam chuckled but the noise changed into a hiss of pain, which made Gabriel worry slightly. "Sammy, you alright?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah…ow, you must've scratched the hell outta my back," the hunter said with another little hiss.

"On your stomach, Sammy," the angel commanded. "Let me see?"

Sam nodded and slowly rolled onto his stomach. Once the pressure was off his back and on his stomach he didn't feel too bad. Gabriel's let out a little whistle when he saw the deep claw-like marks in Sam's smooth, muscular back. His eyes darted away in slight embarrassment. "Whoops. Guess I got a little carried away. Sorry, Sammich," the angel said.

"It's okay," Sam said. He turned his head back to wink at the angel. "You sure you don't want to move me up that list at all?"

Gabriel laughed. "I never said what number you were originally," he said with a grin, seeing Sam beam with pride.

He was never going to let Sam out of his bed ever again if he had his way.

He climbed onto Sam's back and straddled his hips. He leaned down and kissed a long scratch and watched as it slowly healed itself away. With a smile, Gabriel continued his ministrations, slowly dragging his fingers up and down the hunter's back, kissing away the marks while working out the myriad of kinks in the hunter's knotted muscles.

He felt the tension in Sam's back lessen up more and more, and Gabriel couldn't help but chuckle at Sam. Sam was so trusting he had his back turned on a monster, one that had even tried to kill him before. _Sam is too good for his own good sometimes_, Gabriel thought.

Sam's eyelids drooped dangerously. The slow, gentle movements, the comforting weight on him, the warm tingle as the scratches knitted together without a trace…it was impossible to not start to drift off.

_This bed is ridiculously comfortable_, he realized, now that he didn't have a lusty archangel hanging off of him. He tried not to yawn, but failed miserably.

"Your bed…'s comfortable," he slurred quietly.

"Glad you like it," came the response from behind his ear. "Sleepy?"

"Not at….all," Sam said as another yawn interrupted him.

"Hm," Gabriel said quietly. "Could've fooled me." Sam could hear the smirk in the Trickster's tone. There was a shuffling on the bed and Gabriel climbed off his back (which was feeling a dozen times better now).

Sam waited to see what the archangel would do. Wrap his arms around him and spoon him? Dump a bucket of icewater on him? It was impossible to predict Gabriel.

Gabriel's hands suddenly grabbed onto Sam's hips and jerked him down the bed. The ease in which Gabriel pulled the maneuver made Sam startle into full awareness. The archangel pulled his hips up until Sam's ass was in the air before he even realized what was happening.

"Gabriel, what're you—GABE!" Sam choked when he felt his cheeks pulled apart and a warm tongue slide over his entrance. Sam's head dipped to the bed, shuddering at the pleasure that spiked through him.

"Gabriel, you can't—" Sam started to object, but Gabriel's tongue pushed itself into Sam's ass just enough for his words to become a low moan.

"You were saying something, Sammy?" Gabriel asked cheekily once he slowly dragged his tongue out of Sam.

"I was saying that you can't-!" As soon as he started speaking Gabriel shoved his tongue past the tight ring of muscle inside and started thrusting it in and out of Sam's ass, curling and twisting it in a lewd fashion that made his ass clench and toes curl. Sam tried to push away, but Gabriel's hands became like steel and it was impossible to move away from the electric sensation.

When Gabriel pulled away again Sam craned his head around to shot Gabriel a glare. Gabriel looked at him with innocent honey eyes. "What?"

"Are you going to let me finish?" Sam asked.

"Eventually," Gabriel said with a grin.

"Finish my sentence, asshole."

"Are you objecting because of some ridiculous preconceived notion of dirtiness or is it because if I keep doing this"—another tongue swipe—"you're gonna erupt like Vesuvius?"

"Mostly it _was_ because there's an Archangel eating me out but now….I'm leaning towards the latter," Sam said in a sigh. His cock twitched against his stomach and he could feel the pre-come dripping from it.

"Ah, ah, ah," Gabriel said, reaching around to drag teasing fingers over Sam's hardened cock. "We can't have that! Sammy, you aren't allowed to come until I say, got it?"

Sam took a deep, steadying breath and nodded.

"Good boy," Gabriel said, and Sam let out another low groan as Gabriel started tongue fucking him earnestly. Sam wasn't even sure how Gabriel was thrusting that quickly or deeply, but he remembered _archangel_. Thought ended up going out the window as Gabriel fucked Sam faster and deeper, leaving the hunter a moaning and shudder puddle of ooze. He refused to let himself go over the edge though Gabriel's motions were making it difficult, close to impossible.

"Gabe, I can't…not much longer," Sam stuttered between thrusts, nips and licks. Gabriel sucked on Sam's hole for several seconds, almost making Sam come but pulling off just before he did. Sam kept shuddering even after Gabriel had pulled away; every time his ass clenched the emptiness made him moan.

Sam heard the tube of lube click open and shut and within a few seconds something blunt was at his entrance, pressing for permission.

"Come on, Sam," Gabriel said, his tone still teasing but low with lust. "Gotta have permission to enter," the angel said, dragging the tip of his cock over Sam's ass.

"Please, Gabe-!" Gabriel didn't even wait for the whole thing before he slid into Sam all the way to the hilt. Though he wasn't as prepared, the pain was barely noticeable.

"Fuck, Sam," Gabriel hissed, stilled for a moment as he adjusted to the hunter underneath him. "You're so fucking tight. Have you ever done this before?"

Sam shook his head. "But now, I'm starting to wonder why," he said, moaning slightly. He'd really only slept with women, although the couple guys in college he'd slept with he'd been the one on top. He'd never let anyone be with him like this. He's never really trusted anyone enough to have his back to like this, to let them have control over him.

Gabriel saw all this in the hunter's mind, and smiled. _Sam trusted him_—why did that make him as happy as it did?

He leaned down until his chest was pressing against Sam's back and he could whisper into the hunter's ear. "Just relax, Sam, alright?" Though his dick demanded to start moving, Gabriel managed to keep himself still for a few moments while Sam adjusted to him.

He kissed Sam's neck and shoulders, murmuring sweet endearments to help Sam relax underneath him. He paused when the realization hit him that he was not just buried balls deep inside any human, but his own brother's vessel. _Lucifer's vessel_.

…_._

_Lucifer can kiss my ass, _Gabriel thought with bravado_. Sam is __**mine**__. _

Gabriel leaned down and whispered into Sam's ear "Remember, Sam. Not until I say, understand?"

Sam nodded, noting the possessive tone the archangel's words held, and was rewarded with a powerful thrust that made him cry out in pleasure. Gabriel's pace wasn't as punishing as Sam's had been. He was fast and deep but he wasn't trying to ram Sam through the bed and into the ground. He held back his strength, but Sam still knew he wouldn't be able to sit down for a week after tonight.

"Gabriel…ah, fuck, Gabe….fuck!" Sam said in time with the thrusts. The sound of skin smacking against skin was the music to which they danced.

"Such poor language Sam," Gabriel managed to chuckle as he continued to fuck the younger man senseless. Gabriel sucked hard at Sam's neck and Sam shuddered, almost coming at the action.

"Harder," Sam managed to spit out between moans.

"Do you want me to break you in half?" Gabriel asked as he tightened the grip he had on Sam's hips.

"You can…put me…together after," Sam sputtered.

"Fuck, Sam…" Gabriel grinned, grabbed Sam's hips, and plowed into the human as hard and as fast as he could manage without breaking Sam in two. Now the bed really was going to embed itself in the wall, if not go right through it. Sam moans and pleas spurred Gabriel on, and he slipped in Enochian again. Even distracted as he was, Sam was able to wonder what Gabriel was saying.

"You can figure it out later," Gabriel teased. "Homework."

"If you can still talk, you're not fucking me hard enough," Sam said, managing to crane his head around to shoot a bitch-face at Gabriel even in the middle of archangel sex.

Gabriel's thrusts suddenly slowed to a standstill until he dragged his cock all the way out only to slowly shove himself back in at the speed of molasses.

"You're a demanding little mortal," Gabriel said, even as Sam rolled his hips and tried to get him back up to speed.

"Gabe, please," Sam choked as he felt Gabriel slowly shove his dick back inside him, filling him once again. He could feel it, the coiling in his belly, he _was right there_. "Please!"

The slower pace was maddening but it did the job of holding off Sam's orgasm. Not that Gabriel would be able to keep up the pace for long himself, though seeing Sam beg like that was worth the delay.

"You need to ask a little nicer," Gabriel whispered into his ear as he slowly pushed his cock back into Sam's ass.

Sam shuddered and a grin grew on his face. "Gabriel, Archangel of the Lord, I beg you to stop being an ass and _let me come_." Sam prayed, emphasizing the last few words.

"Can't say no to _that_," Gabriel said with a tremble in his voice. There was another image to add to the growing collection of Sam Porn he was storing away in the back of his mind. Sam Winchester, his tan skin glistening with sweat, riding his cock hard and praying to him, begging permission to come-Gabriel was glad he didn't lose control of himself right then and there.

He snapped his hips back into Sam and a cry was ripped from the hunter's throat. The pace sped up and Gabriel's lube slicked hand suddenly wrapped around Sam's red and forgotten cock. A few hard pulls and Gabriel's husky voice commanding "Come for me, Sam!" was all it took for Sam to come while yelling out the archangel's name.

Sam' body clenching around him and shuddering as the orgasm hit home was enough for Gabriel to be flung off the edge as well. He managed to keep thrusting, though his hips faltered and the pace fell apart under his shuddering hips. His emptied himself into Sam and was left feeling exhausted, something he hadn't experienced in a very long time.

Sam collapsed onto the bed and Gabriel tumbled right beside him, his cock pulling out of Sam's ass with an audible pop. Sam rolled over onto his back, breathing hard, and Gabriel snuggled up into the hunter's side. He looked up to see Sam was actually snoring—he must've blacked out.

Gabriel's face almost broke from the smile on his face, and he touched Sam's hips, allowing his grace to heal most of the bruises and soreness from the night. The most obvious and most difficult hickies to hide he left behind with a snicker, imagining Sam trying to explain _those_ away to Dean.

Gabriel found himself growing sleepy, a sensation he rarely gave into because it was unnecessary. Though angel didn't _need_ to sleep, Gabriel decided sexual exhaustion was a good reason for the nap. Besides, then he could fling his arm around the big hunter's chest and breathe in the scent of Sam: gun oil, wood smoke, and cheap motel soap.

Knowing he could get away with it, Gabriel gave Sam a tender kiss on the cheek. Sam was beautiful, especially after sex. The damn kid even looked he was glowing, he was so satisfied. Gabriel fell asleep, curled up in Sam's arms. _There's no other place in the world I'd rather be_, he realized just before falling asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

When Sam finally drifted up from the land of unconscious thought the next morning he woke up feeling more refreshed and relaxed than he had in years. His usual aches and pains were gone; he didn't even feel worn out or any have any soreness from the previous night—Gabriel must've healed him while he slept. Lying stretched out on his back on what felt like a soft cloud, he let out a little sigh of contentment.

"Good morning Sam-a-lam!" said a cheerful voice near him. Sam blinked awake to see the bedroom was awash with gentle, mid-morning light from the wall of windows. Shades over the windows prevented the sun form being directly into his face. He found Gabriel, clothed in his boxers and white tank top, lounging next to him and watching him intently with amber eyes.

Gabriel's eyes softened slightly when Sam's bleary eyes blinked at him slowly, and Sam allowed a smile to break across his face. "Morning Gabe," Sam said. The nickname earned him a playful hair ruffle from the archangel.

Sam started to pout until he realized he already had bed-head and there wasn't much more Gabriel could do to ruin it.

"Sleep well?" Gabriel asked.

"Like a rock," Sam admitted. He glanced at the angel again and chuckled. "Must be an angel thing," he muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"Cas does, well, _did_, the same thing to Dean sometimes. Watched him while he slept," Sam explained.

"I wasn't watching you sleep. My eyes happened to be staring in your general direction as you happened to be asleep. Complete and total coincidence."

Sam laughed as he sat up slowly and found he had crawled under the sheet at some point as it slid off his muscular chest; Gabriel watched the fabric slide with narrowed eyes, as though jealous of its proximity to that smooth skin.

"How long was I out?" Sam asked, hand covering a loud yawn.

"Hm…ten hours, give or take."

"Ten!" Sam said in panic. "Crap, Dean's gonna kill me-!"

"Relax Sam," Gabriel said smoothly, holding up his hands to keep the Winchester from pole-vaulting over him and out of the bed. "I figured you could use a tiny vacation. Figured we could stay here a few days and then meet up with Dean. I could even return to the exact moment we left so Dean can't even bitch."

Sam paused. "Time travel? How?"

"Hello, Archangel," Gabriel said, motioning towards himself. "It wouldn't even be that big a deal. You need to chill a little."

"But, Lucifer's still out there, the—"

"I promise the Apocalypse isn't going anywhere. But do you really think you're going to be getting anything done worn out like you are and constantly bickering with Dean? Besides, he's got Castiel with him. My little brother might look like a clueless moron, but he is one of Heaven's best fighters. They'll be fine."

Sam nodded his head after a moment. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point."

Gabriel grinned. "A Winchester admitting I'm right? An _archangel_ is _right_? Where are the reporters, I need to call a press conference!"

Sam shoved Gabriel playfully and the archangel tumbled over without pause. Sam recalled how strongly Gabriel had manhandled him the previous night, and he blushed when he remembered the previous night. _Holy shit…I had mind-blowing sex with Gabriel!_

Gabriel snorted. "What else kind of sex would you have with me?"

"Stay outta my head," Sam said automatically, but there was no real heat to the words. There was a slight blush on his face though, which Gabriel did not find strangely adorable.

Gabriel leaned in for a kiss and Sam met his lips hungrily. He was slightly surprised to taste mint on the archangel's tongue, and immediately pulled back when he realized he probably had terrible morning breath.

"Humans. Always get hung up on the trivial details," Gabriel said with an eye roll. He snapped his fingers and Sam's mouth felt immediately clean and minty.

"I don't know if I like you using celestial power to brush my teeth," Sam said while giving the other man a narrow-eyed look.

"You didn't seem to mind when I used it for other less-than-holy purposes," Gabriel purred into his ear, sending a shudder of lust straight to the Winchester's already hard dick as memories assaulted him.

"Besides," Gabriel said with a grin. "I might not have been completely upfront about my reasons for you staying."

Sam pulled back and eyed the trickster up and down warily. The warm and fun Winchester was tucked away and the stony, dangerous Winchester stepped up to the plate. "Oh?"

Gabriel noticed Sam's cool tone but wasn't terribly worried when he slid his hand over Sam's cock, the sheet dragging over the sensitive skin and making Sam shiver. "I was mostly telling the truth about the reasons you should stay," Gabriel whispered into Sam's ear and licked the shell.

"I just neglected to mention that I know a hundred different ways to make you scream my name, and I wanted to try out a few dozen before returning to our stick-in-the-mud brothers."

* * *

><p>Sam started to feel uncomfortable early in his stay; the increasing amount of texts and voicemails left by Dean made him antsier by the hour. He couldn't bring himself to turn the phone off completely or on silent just in case of an emergency. He answered often and reassured Dean that he was alive and better than fine. Whenever Gabriel offered to tell him exactly how Sam was 'all kinds of fine,' Dean hung up in a huff.<p>

When Dean called back later that day and interrupted a stupefying blow job, Gabriel snatched the phone away from Sam and snapped into it "For Father's sakes, Dean! Why don't you and Cas take this time to stop having eye sex and start having _actual_ sex?"

Dean didn't even bother to answer before he hung up.

Sam looked at Gabriel's scowling face. "You really think those two…?"

"At the rate they're going? Not in this lifetime. Or the next. Now, where was I?" Gabriel asked, tapping his chin as though trying to remember when Sam's dick was less than a few inches away from his mouth.

"I think you were about to give me a world-and-time-famous blow job," Sam supplied helpfully.

"Ah, so I was. Sorry for the interruption," Gabriel said with a smirk before he attacked Sam like he was his favorite kind of lollipop.

Sam had to admit, it was pretty mind blowing.

* * *

><p>Three days later there was a knock on Dean's motel door, and standing on his step was his wayward brother blushing slightly and a smug archangel.<p>

Dean didn't say anything for a moment, just looked them over. Seeing Gabriel grinning and even Sam looking a little perkier than he had been all week, Dean sighed loudly and let them inside.

"Glad to see you could make time in your busy schedules to deal with the Apocalypse at hand," he growled as he shut the door. His words weren't as harsh as they could have been, which relived Sam. It was so easy to get into arguments nowadays that he wondered if they could even have a decent conversation without yelling at each other.

"Sorry," Sam mumbled. "Didn't mean to just ditch in the middle of a case like that."

Dean dismissed his words. "Cas and I finished up the ghost case. Otherwise, it's been quiet so far," Dean said, motioning out towards the rest of the world.

"The calm before the storm," Gabriel muttered under his breath. "Now, much as I'd like to hang around buckos, I've got some things to deal with. Trickster business and all that. I'll be back soon, okay? Don't get yourselves killed," he said with a grin, but his golden eyes were hard and sharp. Sam shivered at the eyes and the warning they held.

He broke Dean's rule about no public displays of affection and gave Sam a long and intense kiss before disappearing, making Dean cover his eyes with his hands and leaving Sam with a bit of an awkward erection. He whispered a promise to come back and take care of it, but as the days went by without a word from the archangel, Sam got antsier with worry.

The three days with Gabriel had been filled with not just sex, but popcorn fights during boring B-movies and a fancy dinner at a steak house that Sam couldn't have afforded even on a lawyer's salary. They'd gotten in philosophical discussions and spent half the night bantering about justice—considering that was Gabriel's area of expertise and Sam had planned to be a lawyer, the debate had been interesting. The angry post-debate sex had been even more fantastic.

Sex in the bed, against the wall, on the table, over the end of the couch; at night, first thing in the morning, in the afternoon—they were constantly together, and it never got old or boring.

Sam decided that Gabriel had some sort of angelic doggy-feeding system in place because when he caught sight of the little mutt in the few times they actually got out of the bed during those few days, he didn't seem to be starving to death. Sam was convinced that the terrier had given him a raised eyebrow at one point when he walked into the kitchen naked, though.

Sam was able to pick Gabriel's brain about all sorts of historical events and figures ("Ghandi actually had a pretty decent right hook if you pressed the right buttons, and yes, I _do_ know what happened to Jimmy Hoffa and Amelia Earhart"). The lore alone that he learned from the timeless angel would have been worth the visit, but it was so much more than that to Sam.

Being with Gabriel had been fun, relaxing, easy even, and whenever the archangel had looked at him with those soft eyes or said his name in a low moan Sam's stomach did a little turn.

Sam realized as the days lengthened and Gabriel was nowhere in sight, he had fallen—hard—for the Trickster Archangel. He knew he was acting more melancholy than usual, and he was checking the internet and newspapers for strange happenings that might hint at Gabriel's whereabouts constantly, but nothing solid came up.

Questions were constantly bombarding Sam's mind during Gabriel's absence. Had he somehow scared the angel off? Gabriel had already proved himself a coward once before, running from Heaven. Had things with Sam become too intense and he'd fled? That idea made Sam feel vaguely nauseous.

What was Gabriel doing? He said 'Trickster business," did that mean he was out right now, killing someone with a cruel prank? He had managed to forget that Gabriel was a Trickster who killed people for his day job since they had gotten together, but now he was getting a painful reminder that Gabriel did kill humans regularly.

And the problem was that Sam was a Hunter, which meant that he killed the things that killed human beings. Things like Tricksters.

Things like Gabriel.

The darkest thought in his mind was that maybe Dean had been right all along—that Gabriel was playing him or working for one of his dickish brothers. Sam seriously hoped that, after finally wearing Dean down enough so he allowed Gabriel and Sam to be together, his archangel lover didn't go dark-side or something. Dean would never let him live it down for the rest of his life (which might not be much longer considering it was the Apocalypse and all).

Sam wouldn't forgive himself either, if that happened.

Dean noticed Sam's gloomy state and tried to keep his brother occupied with cases—salt and burns, demon attacks, anything to keep Sam from staring into space with a sad little sag of his shoulders. Dean even told him he was "acting like a heartbroken teenage girl, and the damned Trickster hadn't even _broken up_ with him"; Sam chuckled but his eyes were still downcast.

Dean even sent Castiel to find the archangel, but Castiel returned empty handed a few days later. "I can't find him," he had said stoically. "He's been hiding from the Host for millennia. If Gabriel doesn't want to be found, I can't do anything to find him."

They actually ended up going to a convention for Chuck's Supernatural books, and after finding an actual ghost during the ghost hunt, Becky told them some interesting things about the long-lost Colt. Like the fact that Bela Talbot had not actually sold the Colt, but given it to a demon named Crowley.

The Colt could kill anything supernatural. So, they just had to get the Colt and find out where the Devil would be, and empty the entire gun into his head. It was a simple enough plan, but they hadn't expected the demon to give it to them. Turned out he had no love for Lucifer himself, and wanted to Devil out of the way for self-preservation.

Now the Colt was sitting on the table in Bobby's kitchen, with Bobby, Ellen, Jo, the brothers and Castiel making a plan to use it.

"So, we've got the gun, we head to Carthage tomorrow before he can raise Death, then it's hasta la vista Lucifer," Dean said.

"You make it sound like a walk in the park," Ellen said, leaning back in one of the kitchen chairs.

"Yeah, won't Heaven try to stop you? I mean, they want the huge fight, don't they?" Jo asked.

Dean shook his head. "They do, but they aren't expecting us dumbass humans to go and straight up cap the Devil's ass," he said, and he actually allowed himself a smile.

"There are many things that could go wrong with your idea," Castiel simply stated. "You're basing this plan on many assumptions, Dean. Like the idea that the Colt will actually work on Lucifer, for one."

"Unfortunately, it's all we got Cas! Unless you've got any other ideas?" Dean said, crossing his arms across his chest.

Castiel fixed his gaze on Sam, and the younger Winchester shrank a little under the gaze. "Why don't you pray to Gabriel? He is powerful, and he can help us."

Sam startled at the suggestion. It had been over a week since he'd spoken to the archangel or even seen him—he'd never thought about praying to Gabriel. "Uh…."

"No way, let's leave Gabriel out of this," Dean said.

"Who's Gabriel?" Jo asked curiously.

Ellen looked at the boys. "Sam, Dean, who do you have up your sleeve?"

"Remember that Trickster I was telling you about a while back? The one that was making all those urban legends come true?" Bobby pitched in.

Ellen nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"

Bobby scratched his forehead under his trucker's cap. "Well, turns out that particular Trickster wasn't so much a trickster but an angel in hiding from Heaven."

"Archangel," Sam automatically corrected.

Ellen and Jo's eyes went wide in surprise. "An Archangel?!" they said in unison.

"That's one hell of an ace, you two. And you're only telling us about this now because…?" Ellen said, now sounding irritated that she and her daughter hadn't been in on the loop.

Sam held up his hands to stow her anger. "We just found out a few weeks ago, tops. And he hasn't been around much the past week."

"If we're going to take this risky venture on the road, I'd really like to run it by someone who's an authority on archangels," Bobby added.

Dean opened his mouth to argue, but closed it silently, fuming.

"Come on, Dean, spit it out," Jo said sternly, sounding just like her mother. Everyone's attention turned to him.

"Alright, look! I don't trust him, okay?"

"Still?" Sam asked, rolling his eyes and gesturing in irritation.

"Yes, Sam, still. You just said he wasn't around much for the past week. We have no idea what he's up to. He could be feeding our locations and plans straight to Lucifer!"

"Gabriel can be an ass, but he is no traitor," Castiel said.

"How do you know, Cas? He's an archangel, one of the original four and Lucifer is too. If Adam and his friends were planning to off Sam, I'd probably go and warn him."

Castiel looked both angry and worried, and now the Harvelles looked nervous too. Sam sighed loudly. He closed his eyes and screwed up his face in thought.

"Sam, wait!" Dean said sternly, but there was a collective gasp as Gabriel appeared in a flap of wings next to Sam.

"So, I hear you've been plotting to kill my older brother?" Gabriel asked easily for an icebreaker.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"So, I hear you've been plotting to kill my older brother?" Gabriel with a smug smirk on his face when the humans all looked like startled bunnies.

Castiel looked on warily—if Gabriel decided he was going to attack them, Cas would be less than useless against an angry archangel. He'd tried it once, and that was when he was still connected to the Host for his power. He'd still ended up as a few blood stains and a tooth in Chuck's hair.

Gabriel patted Sam's shoulder and stood up on tip-toe to give Sam a peck on the cheek. The hunter blushed at Ellen, Bobby, and Jo when they gave him a wide-eyed look at the obvious affection in the gesture.

"Sam? Something you wanna share?" Bobby asked, glancing at Gabriel pointedly.

"Um…Gabriel makes awesome chocolate chip pancakes?" Sam offered.

"Sans magic," the archangel clarified. "They're a perfect breakfast after a night of exceptionally vigorous adult activity."

There was a shocked silence from around the room, and incredulous/slightly dangerous looks landed on Sam. He knew he was beet red; he could probably fry an egg on his face, he was blushing so hard.

"NO SEX TALK!" Dean snapped. "You're making everyone uncomfortable."

"You _knew_ about this?" Bobby asked Dean, glowering at him.

"Sam, not to pry but…you sure?" Ellen asked, eyeing Gabriel up and down. There was so much concern and caution in her voice that it made Sam angry.

"He's on our side," Sam said, bristling. "It just sorta…happened." There was contemplative silence from everyone as they regarded Gabriel with caution.

"Just…dammit, boy, don't make us regret this," Bobby said with a growl. "And none of that 'adult activity' under this roof, got it?"

Gabriel gave him a salute. "Yes sir!"

Bobby gave Sam a look, and Sam knew he was in for another hour long argument about how Gabriel was going to try and trick him or how he was making a mistake. He wasn't looking forward to rehashing _that_ conversation.

Bobby looked at Gabriel. "How in the world did you find out that quickly? Bout our plan?"

Gabriel tapped his temple. "Mind-reading plus instant teleportation means I find out things fast, and move even faster."

The archangel pulled up Dean's empty chair and sat in the chair backwards, looking completely at ease. "I'm Gabriel, former archangel, current Trickster."

"Um, right, well this is Bobby, Ellen, and Jo," Sam said, and the trickster shook hands with all of them.

He kissed Jo's hand after he shook it and grinned. "Hot damn. If I hadn't met Sam first, I might have gone for you!"

Jo pulled her hand back. "In your dreams," she said automatically, the snide remark habit from guys hitting on her constantly at the bar.

Gabriel chuckled, not even offended. "Love how feisty you humans can be," he said cheerfully.

He repeated the handshake and kiss with Ellen, and smiled genuinely. "Heard good things about you, Ellen. Though Sam didn't mention how beautiful you were!"

Ellen rolled her eyes and muttered at him to "Stop trying to butter me up."

When Gabriel looked at Bobby, he grinned. "Ah, Mr. Singer! Long time no see. Looks like you've aged as well as a gallon of milk from last year. What's with the rims?" the angel asked, looking at Bobby's wheelchair.

"Broke my hip during a salsa class," the hunter said. When Gabriel kept looking at him, Bobby sighed in aggravation. "Demons, you ass!"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Let me guess, tweedledee and tweedledum got themselves neck deep in trouble, and you just _had_ to step in to help?"

Bobby clenched his jaw, and looked away from the angel in question. "Something like that," he mumbled.

Gabriel saw the hurt that flashed across the old hunter's worn face, and decided to ask Sam about it later. He turned to the table at large, and looked at the Colt in the middle of it. He reached forward and grabbed the gun, which caused everyone but Castiel to flinch.

"Relax. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be in Heaven before you knew what happened," he said. He turned the old gun over in his hands, inspecting the powerful relic, and could feel the magic running through the gun, like a gentle pulse in the wood and metal.

"Beautiful, isn't it? Hard to believe a human managed to come up with it on his own. Yeah, I can see your fascination. Can take down ghosts, demons, monsters of any sort really. A one-shot answer to all your troubles," he said, putting it back down after a moment.

"What about archangels?" Sam asked quietly.

Gabriel didn't say anything for a moment, but looked at Sam. "That gun is a piece of genius, Sam, and it can kill almost anything. In fact there's only 5 things in this whole world that the Colt _can't_ take out."

"Let me guess. Lucifer is on that list," Dean said, voice filled with dejection.

Gabriel shrugged. "Sorry Dean-o. The only thing it would have done was give big bro one hell of a headache and even more of a reason to kick to your ass." He looked up at Sam and smiled. "Good thing you asked, or you might not have come back alive."

"So, we basically went through all the trouble to get it, and now we can't even use it?" Jo asked in frustration.

"We've got the Colt back, and Crowley was nice enough to give us bullets for it. Demons are going to be all over us, and now we can fight 'em off," Dean said. He reached forward and picked the gun up from the table, looking it over carefully. Without warning, he aimed it right at Gabriel's head and pulled back the hammer.

"Dean, what the hell?!" Sam said, but Gabriel's simply fixed a glowering stare at the hunter.

"Go ahead, Dean-o," Gabriel dared, eyes challenging. "But I'll come back and I have no qualms about dropping you on a plane full of snakes over the Pacific Ocean, with no Samuel L. Jackson to save your ass." Gabriel said coolly.

"No way," Dean said, trying to call his bluff. "You can't do that."

Gabriel held up his hand, ready to snap if Dean pulled the trigger. "Not much difference between T.V. Land and Movie Land, Dean. Remember how much fun _that_ was?"

Dean held the gun a moment longer, then put it back on the table with a snort of anger and stalked into the kitchen for a moment.

"Cas, you might want to help your boy-toy work on his anger and trust issues," Gabriel suggested, and the angel only nodded before following him.

This actually made Jo snort loudly in laughter. "Which part was he agreeing too?" she hissed to Sam.

Sam shrugged. "It made Dean shut up, and for that I'm thankful. I'm really sorry," he said to the archangel.

"Oh please. I've dealt with worse threats in my time. You should have seen my ex. She was a real fire-starter," he said, winking at Jo who looked interested to know more.

"So, killing the Devil is off the table completely?" Ellen asked to clarify.

"With that gun, it is. However, he can be killed, but only by an archangel's blade."

"So…you're gonna have to kill Lucifer?" Bobby asked.

Gabriel, who had been nonchalant during the conversation, suddenly became downhearted. "It means that Raphael, Michael, and I are the only ones who can do it. Unless someone wrestles Lucifer's blade away from him and stabs him with it."

"And we don't want Michael doing it because the world is toast if they get into it," Jo finished.

"Essentially," Gabriel said.

"So, now what?" Dean said, stomping back inside, a beer in his hands and a scowling Castiel following him.

"Well, the Devil's still goin' to Carthage tomorrow night to raise Death," Bobby said slowly. "Even without the Colt, can we stop him?"

Everyone's eyes fell on Gabriel. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at everyone. "I already told you I'd help, but I'm not going to fight Michael or Lucifer. I won't kill my brother," he said with finality.

"Well, then, princess, is there any way to keep him from raising the last Horseman?" Bobby growled.

"The ritual required to raise and bind Death is complex and time sensitive," Gabriel said. "It's gotta be done at midnight tomorrow."

"So…what if we go and distract the Devil?" Ellen offered. "Keep him busy 'til his window of opportunity is shut."

"Sounds like a possibility," Dean agreed, taking a swig of beer.

Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously? I save you guys from making a suicide run by telling you the gun's useless, yet you still want to go based on the sole idea of 'let's just _distract_ the Devil'?"

"This whole town will be wiped off the map if we don't go. And who knows how many more people will die with Death walking around?" Sam asked quietly. He met Gabriel's hard golden eyes with stubborn hazel ones. "We have to go."

"Why?" Gabriel demanded. Though he was at least a foot shorter than Sam, the hunter felt cowed by the intensity of the archangel's presence. Sam could feel the anger rolling off of Gabriel, but also…fear?

Was Gabriel afraid of losing Sam? The idea that he actually meant that much to the archangel made Sam's heart flutter.

"Because we're hunters, and saving people is what we do," Jo stated matter-of-factly. "If we don't look out for others, who will? Not the angels, no offense."

"You stubborn little mortals," Gabriel growled, rubbing the side of his temple. "Don't you get it? Lucifer and his demons are gonna sweep over this town like a lawnmower, and your asses are the grass."

"Gabriel, this idea _does_ have merit," Castiel said slowly.

"Not you too! I need your logical thinking to convince them it isn't an idea worth considering!" Gabriel snapped at the other angel.

"Our previous plan hinged on a frontal assault of Lucifer himself," Castiel said. "The plan needs to be changed to guerilla tactics. Keep Lucifer's forces spread thin, and keep him from meeting his deadline. Without Death, Lucifer's power will be greatly weakened-it could even keep Famine and Pestilence from being fully powered. Without the Horsemen at their full potential, the causalities will drop dramatically," Castiel finished.

Dean's scowl actually twitched upwards at Castiel. "That's actually not a bad idea," the hunter said, throwing a friendly arm over Castiel's shoulder.

"So instead of shooting the Devil, we're going to go and pester the hell out of him so he can't raise Death?" Bobby clarified. "I'm not actually sure which plan is worse, now."

"It's a plan, which means we have a job to do," Sam said.

Gabriel eyes narrowed at everyone coldly. "Don't want to listen to me? Fine. Want to drag everyone you love into a suicide mission? Go right ahead. Just don't' expect me to bail you out," Gabriel said angrily and disappeared with a snap.

Sam was left looking startled as he stared at the place Gabriel had just been standing. Gabriel's flashing eyes left Sam shivering at the coldness of those eyes, normally awash with warmth as he told a joke or pulled off a prank successfully. Immediately Sam was terrified, like Gabriel's disappearance was an omen.

"Earth to Sam," Dean said, snapping his fingers in front of Sam's face. "You okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Sam said, stifling the nervous jitters that were running up his arms and legs. His stomach was curling itself up in knots and he felt like vomiting. _Gabriel ran away, just like he did from Heaven_, Sam realized. He really though Gabriel cared for them, or him at least…to leave that easily….Sam's instincts must have been wrong.

Gabriel didn't care. Did that mean that the feelings that Sam could feel in his heart were wrong, too? Sam closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply, trying to find his center, trying to balance himself. No matter how logically he tried to put it, it didn't stop his heart from aching. He could almost feel the battered thing fracture further, almost to the point of shattering altogether.

Dean, Ellen, everyone was looking at him with concern.

"Sam, honey?" Ellen started. "I hate to say it, but your friend's a bit of a dick."

"Did he seriously just ditch?" Jo asked. She huffed. "Shows what good angels are. Again, no offense," she offered to Castiel.

The seraph's face was impassive, guarded, but Sam thought he saw a minuscule hint of surprise and disappointment flash across Castiel's face as he looked at the spot Gabriel had stood.

"I told you Gabriel was trouble," Dean said, but the dangerous look Sam shot him was enough to make him close his mouth.

"We don't need him," Sam said evenly. "We're hunters, remember? We've been managing just fine on our own up until this point." He took a deep breath, shoved aside his broken heart, and carried on as a true Winchester would. "Can we not talk about it, and get back to the job at hand? What's the plan now?"

* * *

><p>AN: As always, comments and reviews are appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

The unnatural baying of the hellhounds outside the small hardware store sent shivers of terror down each hunter's back; all but Jo fearfully eyed the windows and chained front doors, waiting for their arrival. She was too busy trying to keep what was left of her intestines in her horribly mauled abdomen to be afraid of anything else the hounds could do to her. Blood pooled under her limp body, despite her best effort to keep the wad of gauze pressed into her side to stop the bleeding. Her lips were blue and she was paler than any ghost she'd ever hunted.

Ellen kept pressure on the wound when she felt Jo's strength waning. She whispered empty reassurances to her dying daughter as she tried to patch Jo up as much as possible, but they all knew it was only delaying the inevitable.

Dean and Sam finished salting the doorway and windows just at the front door shook with a hard impact. The pack of angry and invisible demonic pitbulls was out for blood, and now they had the hunters' scents. It was only a matter of time before they found a way inside.

"Where the fuck is Cas?!" Dean shouted. They had lost the angel the moment they had gotten into the seemingly deserted town of Carthage.

Upon seeing Jo's life spreading across the concrete floor of the store, and Castiel nowhere in sight, Sam growled in fearful frustration, wondering if Gabriel hadn't been right in his anger at them. Carthage seemed doomed before they'd even arrived.

"He went after the reapers," Ellen told Dean simply.

"Do you think…the Devil got him?" Jo asked weakly.

Dean scowled, knowing it was likely but not wanting to acknowledge it. If Lucifer did catch Castiel, there was a good chance they'd never see the angel again. Even before his Fall Cas didn't have the power to stand up to the Devil.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the chained front doors when the hellhounds' baying turned into barking, snarling, yelping, silence. Sam, Dean, and Ellen had their weapons drawn when a figure slammed the doors open, blowing out the glass and ripping the chain apart like cooked spaghetti noodles.

Standing in the door frame was an old Hispanic woman, easily late 80s, a colorful shawl draped over her hunched back and her face nothing but wrinkles. Sam and Dean raised their weapons—the octogenarian grandmother's eyes were black as coal.

Without hesitation Dean pulled the trigger of the Colt in quick succession, firing two rounds—enough to kill any demon. Sam was already leaning down, about to haul Jo up in case they had to make a run for it.

"Whoa, kiddo! You might actually hurt someone with that thing!" the grandmother said, moving with supernatural speed and catching the bullets between her crooked fingers. She chuckled and tossed them to the floor. "I knew you had it in for me, but shooting me after I just saved your bacon? That's just rude, Winchester."

"Who the hell are—dammit, shoulda figured," Dean said when the old lady morphed into a disgruntled looking Trickster.

"Gabriel?!" Sam asked, completely incredulous. Too many emotions washed over him when Gabriel's eyes fell on him. Relief, anger, frustration, forgiveness…he didn't even try to identify them all. "You came," he said, partially an accusation while also in relief.

"I'm invested in you dorks," Gabriel said simply, but Sam could see the apology in his eyes. He snapped his fingers; the door was repaired and chained closed behind him once again.

"Gabriel, it's Jo," Ellen said loudly, bringing the angel's attention to the dying girl. His bright eyes dulled slightly at her disheveled form. Ellen tried to look tough, but Gabriel could see the tears leaking down her face. She dragged her hand over her cheeks to wipe them away, trying to keep Jo from seeing her cry.

Gabriel glanced behind Jo's crumpled and pale form and could see the Reaper standing over her shoulder, patiently waiting as her life bled out. Within a minute she'd be gone.

Dean helped Ellen stand up and move aside, allowing Gabriel and Jo a little space alone, though they watched intently as he knelt down in front of her. Jo fixed a pained grin on her face. "You should tell me about that…ex of yours. The fire-starter," she explained quietly between shallow breathes. She tried to chuckle but ended up coughing up blood. Specks of it landed on her lips and Gabriel's cheek but he didn't seem to notice.

"Your dying wish is to hear about my ex? Kid, you need to get out more," he told her with a wink. He grabbed the hand that wasn't trying to keep her insides from falling out onto the floor and looking her straight into the eyes, fully serious now. "Jo, I'm gonna heal you, alright? But, it might hurt a bit. I kinda have to put your insides back…inside," he said with an apologetic shrug.

"I'm not dying any less here," she said simply, and Gabriel could feel her hand grow colder. He touched her forehead and the ragged wound in her side. Jo hissed and moaned in pain when he applied pressure to her abdomen.

"Jo-!" Ellen gasped.

"Just a second," Gabriel said, eyes closed in concentration. Ellen, Dean, and Sam watched as warm golden light seemed to come from his hands and get absorbed into Jo's body, healing the hellhound's damage. Jo stopped squirming, and seemed to be simply asleep as her flesh knitted back together and her color returned to her skin. Gabriel even fixed her stained and shredded shirt for her.

Ellen gave him a bear hug that could almost rival Thor in brute strength before she collapsed next to her daughter, holding her in her arms and thanking him for saving her. Gabriel gave a haughty smirk to the Reaper as it silently stepped back and disappeared.

Dean held out his hand and after a wide-eyed moment of uncertainty Gabriel shook it. "Thank you," Dean said sincerely. It seemed that any hostility or caution Dean had was now gone, seeing Gabriel save on of his only friends from the brink.

"Sammy, I think we should splash some holy water on him, he actually said 'thank you' to me-" Gabriel started but was cut off as Sam reached his long arms around the shorter man and pulled him into his second would-make-Thor-red-with-envy hug.

"Thank you, Gabriel. You were right, this was…I was…God, I'm so…"

Gabriel could feel Sam's regret's and reliefs through the hug. "I shouldn't have left. It's obvious you idiots need adult supervision," he said with a huff once Sam let him go. "And I should've known better than try to make Winchesters stand by while people died."

"Is Jo going to wake up?" Ellen asked quietly, still holding the blonde to her chest.

"After a bit. Replacing blood is a little tougher to work, and wounds like hers take time for the body to bounce back from," Gabriel said.

"Is there any reason why you came in here looking like a possessed Spanish grandmother?" Dean asked gruffly, going through his bag for anything that could be useful in any upcoming hellhound or demon attacks.

"It's called a disguise, knucklehead. They're useful when you want to get from point A to point B without being noticed. Not that you'd know anything about subtlety."

"But, why not just zap in here?" Sam asked.

Gabriel poked him square in the chest. "Enochian warding sigils, remember? Also, if I just waltzed into town the demons deliver me to Lucifer for him to beat on like a birthday piñata. I'm _not_ getting into it with big brother. I like living. So, I figured I'd search on foot. Not just anybody gets a pack of hell's finest sent after them, so I figured it was you. Now where is my little brother?" Gabriel asked, looking around.

"No idea. He disappeared the moment we got to town," Dean said.

"He said there was dozens of Reapers in the streets and went off to see what they were doing here," Ellen relayed.

Gabriel let out a frustrated noise and ran a hand down his face. "Great. Know what that means?"

"This town is screwed royally," Sam finished in a dejected tone.

"Look, guys, you did what you could," Gabriel said. "But all those reapers weren't just here for Big D's raising and binding party—they were here for the town folks. You have to have a pretty good pizza-with very expensive toppings on it-just to get the big guy to answer the door, ya know."

"So, what, we give up?" Dean demanded angrily. "Leave Cas to his fate as well as the town and ditch? We can't do that, we could still save them!"

"How? Send Jo out as bait?" Gabriel snapped.

Sam stepped between his lover and his brother when Dean's face grew red and he looked ready to deck the angel, the consequences to his hand be damned.

"Knock it OFF!" Ellen roared before Sam could say anything. Immediately all the men cowered before her. She gently laid Jo on the floor and stood with her hands on her hips and glaring at them. "We're here, let's finish the job at hand. We have a plan, we can still use it."

Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest. "What plan?" he huffed.

Sam took out the map Bobby had found of the town's layout and gave Gabriel the quick and dirty version of their plans.

"Huh," Gabriel said. "That's actually not too shabby of thinking there, Winchester."

"If the pizza doesn't show up, the guy's not moving from the lazy chair," Dean said with a shrug, continued Gabriel's earlier bizarre analogy. "If we get rid of Lucifer's entourage, he can't complete the ritual."

"The problem is, Jo isn't going to be of help to anyone right now," Sam said, motioning to Jo's limp form.

"Can't you speed up the healing process?" Ellen asked, surprising the archangel.

"Wait, you _want_ your only child ripped apart by hellhounds?"

The older woman swallowed once as she steadied herself. "Jo's a part of this as much as anyone. She came here with us to finish this mission…she'll never let us hear the end of it if we just tucked her somewhere safe 'til after it's all said and done," Ellen said evenly. "Especially if we don't walk out of here ourselves."

Gabriel shook his head, but couldn't be helped by the strength of resolve in Ellen's heart. He touched Jo's forehead for several long seconds and the girl jerked awake, breathing shakily and patting her side frantically, trying to find the wound that was no longer there. "Mom!" she said, giving her mother a panicked hug.

"Thank you," she said to Gabriel as she got to her feet. She kept touching her side and seemed surprised whenever her hand came back unbloodied.

"Alright, alright, I get it, I'm the best. You can sing me praises later," Gabriel said and she simply grinned at him.

"Alright. You idiots keep to your plan, I'll go find Castiel and we'll join you."

Gabriel thought about it for a second, then reached up and dragged Sam down into a long kiss. Dean made gagging noises and Jo made a wolf whistle but Sam still melted into those smooth lips.

"You especially stay out of Luci's way, Sam," Gabriel warned. "You and Dean stay as far away from him as possible. There's no telling what he might do once we screw up his best laid plans."

"You stay safe too," Sam said quietly. "No one here can heal you if you get in trouble."

"Oh please. I've been getting my ass in an out of trouble for years and have yet to get a scratch. What could go wrong?"

* * *

><p>Gabriel's body flew into a tree trunk and cracked it under the force of his impact. The tree fell behind him, sending up wood chunks and dirt into the air as it crashed into the ground. He tried to stand but he was seeing triples of everything, including three exceptionally angry Lucifers marching towards him, cold eyes flashing with righteous fury.<p>

"I knew you were a coward, Gabriel," Lucifer snarled as he dragged his brother up from the tree's twisted form and held him aloft. The younger archangel's feet dangled several feet off the ground and though he struggled, Lucifer's grip was like steel.

"But this," Lucifer said with a snarl. "This is _unforgivable_."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The plan had been going relatively smoothly, up until that point. Between the hunters, they were able to trap and exorcise almost all of Lucifer's demonic entourage that had followed him to Carthage. The work was grueling, but with Gabriel helping they were able to thin out Lucifer's forces a bit.

Gabriel literally flew into Castiel while looking for his brother. The younger angel was hauling ass to the Winchesters and they almost collided mid-air. Castiel looked wary—apparently he'd met the infamous Fallen Angel face-to-face. The older archangel didn't ask Cas why his clothes had sulfur on them, and Cas didn't offer an explanation to Gabriel's raised eyebrow.

He didn't have the heart to tell Sam and Dean that, despite their best efforts, the citizens of Carthage were already dead. Lucifer had moved quickly through the town, killing most of its citizens and tossing them into a specially created mass grave in the graveyard. Only a handful of people were left alive and possessed, the final pieces to the puzzle later in the ritual.

Dean, Sam, the Harvelles, they weren't stupid. They knew the empty streets were an ominous sign of the true state of things—however, they had to keep fighting. Even if the town and its people were gone, they had to stop Lucifer from raising Death. By driving the demons back to Hell, they hoped to stall Lucifer's completion of the ritual.

Once the latest exorcism was completed, Gabriel and Castiel joined the hunters in the town square, a dozen people inside a huge devil's trap lying on the ground unconscious.

"Are there any more demons?" Sam asked, a little out of breath. Dean was breathing heavy too—playing bait had been a bit of a work out, it seemed.

"Not at the moment," Castiel answered, looking around. Night had already fallen on the town hours ago; their time was running short.

"Exorcising the demons is only buying us time," Dean said gruffly. "They'll come back, and there'll be more of them." He checked his watch and growled. "It's basically the eleventh hour here. What do we do now?"

The humans looked to the angels for help. They were worn out and tired—trapping and exorcising demons wasn't as easy or as fun as it sounded.

"You sure we can't just kill the demons when they show up?" Ellen asked.

Gabriel shook his head. "No! It could count as a 'sacrifice' and fulfil the parameters of the spell. The exact opposite of what we've been trying to do all day."

"The townsfolk are already dead, more demons are undoubtedly on the way, and we've got less than an hour to stop Lucifer," Sam said, looking around at everyone—his voice carried heaviness in it.

"Big brother was always the one with a plan—he probably has some sort of contingency in place," Gabriel said, thinking for a moment. "We can't try to out think him…" An idea popped into his head that made his stomach roll with fear-he almost threw up at it. Unfortunately, it was the only one he had. _I just have to get him to forget about the plan._ _Big brother always had a bit of a temper…._

"Castiel, do me a favor," Gabriel said suddenly.

"What do you need?" was the gravelly response.

He motioned towards the humans. "Grab them and get out of here," he said quietly.

"What?!" Sam demanded. "No, no way, we aren't running away!" he said, his voice shaking as the bottom dropped out of his stomach.

"Sam, Dean, you need to get as far away as possible," Gabriel said sternly. He had to quell the nervous sloshing in his stomach, but the shocked look on Sam's face didn't help. He would've rather been kicked in the balls repeatedly than see that look on Sam's face.

"We aren't going anywhere," Ellen said sternly, glaring at the archangel, daring him to try and make her. Jo mirrored her mother's expression and nodded.

"Whatever you're planning isn't the way, Gabriel! You said you wouldn't fight him!" Sam accused, full-blown panic in his voice.

"I'm not. I'm just gonna piss him off so bad he'll forget the spell entirely."

Dean strode forward and grabbed the archangel's shoulder hard enough to make the collarbone creak under his calloused hands. "Don't," was all Dean said, and Gabriel didn't even have to read his mind to know _exactly_ what the hunter's piercing green eyes or low, dangerous tone meant.

_Don't you __**dare**__ die for us. _

_Don't you __**dare**__ make us bear the guilt of another friend we've lost in this war. _

_Don't you __**dare**__ do this to Sam. He's already lost everyone he's ever loved: Mom, Dad, me, Jess, Madison….don't make him lose you, too. _

Gabriel couldn't even look Dean in the eyes. "Cas, please, get them somewhere safe."

"Don't move!" Sam ordered Castiel before whipping back around to grab Gabriel's coat, hazel eyes hard. "I'm not leaving you! Not after everything we've fucking _been_ through."

"Trust me, kiddo, I'm not particularly psyched at rehashing this whole 'piñata at a birthday party' bit either, but it's all we got."

"I'm not going to let you do this, Gabriel!" Sam snapped. He smashed his lips onto the archangel's, refusing to let go. Desperation and pleading could be felt in those lips, but Gabriel refused to return the kiss. He couldn't respond to it. If he did, he'd lose his nerve and Death would walk the Earth.

Sam pulled away, tears silently streaming down his face. "Why? Why is now the moment when you've decided to be self-sacrificing martyr? Don't try to be Dean! What are you _doing_?"

"It's all I can do to make sure you and Dean survive this thing, Sam!" Gabriel shouted back, eyes glistening. "I'm going against everything I am here, a little appreciation would be nice."

Sam glared at him. "Was this some sort of a sick prank? Getting me to fall for you then running away like you always do?" Sam asked seriously. "Is there some fucked-up morale to this I'm supposed to be getting here?"

Gabriel looked startled for a moment. "Sam, I …sorry, bucko. I guess we both got pranked," Gabriel said simply, ruffling the hunter's hair fondly.

Castiel silently reappeared behind the tall hunter. Dean and the Harvelles were already gone-transported out of harm's way when Sam had his back turned.

Sam saw Gabriel's eyes dart past his shoulder, and Sam whipped around in time to see Castiel's fingers reach for his forehead. "No, Cas, wait, GABE-!"

He could still hear Sam's yell echoing across the empty town square.

Gabriel was left alone in the middle of doomed Carthage. A few tears to fall to the cracked concrete sidewalk under him—he didn't want to let them fall, but he didn't bother to stop them once they did.

Gabriel _knew_ he was going to die. Lucifer, even powered down as he was, was more powerful, cunning and vicious than even Gabriel's Trickster persona could ever hope to be.

He knew Sam would never forgive him as long as he lived, but at least Sam and Dean would be alive. _Sam had started falling for me_…he thought to himself. The realization made his feet like lead and his wings drag the ground as if broken beyond healing.

He'd tried to ignore the idea, only to fail miserably. Sam had known he was way out of Gabriel's league, too different from him for them to be compatible, yet the idiot had _still_ fallen for the Trickster, the Archangel.

Gabriel realized that, he too, had fallen for Sam; course, he had his eye on the Winchester for many years, but now he knew it, in his Grace, that Sam was his and he was Sam's.

Sigh. Fat lot of good the realization did him now, moments before he got himself killed by his devil of an older brother.

Least this way, Sam could remember Gabriel as "The archangel that saved the world" rather than "The dickish archangel that killed my brother a hundred times and made me a car."

The archangel swallowed down the bile rising up his throat along with his emotions. He couldn't let his rolling stomach make him late to his appointment. Lucifer was waiting.

* * *

><p>Lucifer was shoveling dirt into the enormous mass grave on the edge of town, in the middle of its oldest cemetery. Gabriel appeared, wondering why in the world his brother was doing it—it wasn't like he'd actually be able to fill the hole before midnight.<p>

"Finally got tired of exorcising my demons, huh Gabriel?" Lucifer asked casually as he continued to shovel dirt into the massive hole. Lucifer glanced at Gabriel, icy eyes flashing coldly at him in greeting. No matter what their vessels looked like, their eyes always showed their true colors.

Gabriel swallowed nervously. "Lucifer. You're my brother, and I love you. But you're probably the biggest bag of dicks on this side of the universe."

Lucifer stopped shoveling and turned to look at his baby brother, eyebrows raised and a smirk on his lips. "Did you rehearse that on the way over here, little brother?" Lucifer said with a chuckle.

Gabriel took a breath, determined to not let his brother's casual demeanor derail him. "Lucifer, I—"

"I see you're working with the Winchesters," Lucifer cut him off. "Whose side does that put you on, Gabriel?"

"Not yours or Michael's," Gabriel spat. "You can both go to Hell."

"Harsh. But, I've already been, and it's not as cracked up as it's supposed to be," Lucifer said sarcastically.

"I'm on their side. Not yours, not Michael's. Not Heaven or Hell. I'm rooting for the little guys on this one." It was at this point that Gabriel's angel blade appeared in his nervously trembling hand. If he didn't at least look like he meant business, Lucifer wouldn't even bother trying to swat him. He needed to get big brother to forget Death's ritual.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes when the glint of blade caught his attention. He let the shovel, which he'd been leaning on, drop to the ground and he put his hands on his hips. "You disloyal little—"

"Not disloyal. Humans are everything Dad wanted them to be, Lucifer."

"Humans are flawed and broken _abortions_!" Lucifer spat angrily.

"But they try. Most of them try to do better, to be better. Why can't we do the same?"

Lucifer shook his head, taking a few steps away from the edge of the grave towards Gabriel. "We're not the broken ones, Gabriel. Father made us _exactly_ how he wanted us."

"Which means he made you to be exactly who you are," Gabriel said, hoping his bickering was working. He didn't have much time, but he had to keep Lucifer occupied until after midnight.

The Devil paused to think about that for a moment. "Then…the game's been rigged against me the whole time," Lucifer said quietly. "I suppose that's another thing Sam and I have in common."

"Sam will _never_ say yes to you, Lucifer," Gabriel snarled automatically. _He's mine._

He clapped his jaws shut, but Lucifer already heard the protective, no, _possessive_ tone in his little brother's voice. Ice-blue eyes focused on Gabriel with laser-intensity, and the younger angel shivered. _Oh, crap._

Lucifer appeared right before Gabriel, grabbing his coat and staring him in the eyes. "You—you slept with Sam Winchester?" Lucifer's even voice asked quietly as he searched Gabriel's mind. Gabriel managed to break Lucifer's hold on his jacket and shove him several steps back.

Lucifer's eyes grew sharp and he snarled "No, you didn't just _sleep_ with him, did you?"

Gabriel didn't even get a chance to respond before Lucifer's fist had smashed into his face. The younger angel went flying into one of the old oak trees standing around the gravesite, making the tree's great trunk crack under the force of his impact. The tree toppled to the earth behind him with a roar of earth-shaking thunder.

Gabriel barely had time to get back to his feet when Lucifer was pulled him roughly out of the mess of splintered woods steaks and other debris. The Devil grabbed the shorter man and held him aloft in the air by his throat. Gabriel clawed at the hand tightening around his neck, but Lucifer's grip never wavered. Nor did his steely eyes.

"You disloyal little bastard!" Lucifer snarled. "Sam Winchester is _mine_, in every sense of the word, Gabriel! He's the only thing in this entire world that was promised to me, and me alone, by our _Father_. You disobeyed His direction, yet you still have a place in Heaven. Why have you not Fallen, Gabriel?" Lucifer snapped.

"Dad works in mysterious ways?" Gabriel tried to joke.

Lucifer slammed his fist into Gabriel's face again, making his whole face go numb upon impact. If he had been human, there wouldn't have been a head left to punch anymore, it would've gone sailing across the graveyard.

"Not only did you _fuck_ Sam Winchester," Lucifer said as he landed another vicious punch to Gabriel's temple. "You had the nerve to try a _bond_ with him, with my _vessel_?!"

Lucifer slammed Gabriel into the ground, creating an imprint of his body in the earth itself that sent shockwaves of tremors across most of the Midwest. If Gabriel didn't have Grace protecting him, his body would've been crushed into dust by the force of the slam.

Spittle hit Gabriel's cheek and he would have admitted openly about almost pissing himself at that point. He'd seen Lucifer pissed. He'd never seen him furious. But Gabriel had never seen Lucifer this angry since the Rebellion.

The words _righteous fury_ floated through the tiny portion of his brain that wasn't scrambled.

"I didn't-!" Gabriel tried to deny, he honestly had no idea what Lucifer was talking about. Sure, he liked Sam, had awesome sexy times with him, okay, maybe he could just admit to loving the big lug, but a genuine _bond_ with the Winchester?

"Don't lie to me Gabriel! You tried to take what was mine," Lucifer snapped.

"Sam isn't a commodity, Lucifer," Gabriel barked, anger starting to boil in his blood at Lucifer's abrasive tone. "He's a person, a human, part of a species which you hate."

"Sam. Winchester. Is. _My. Vessel_." Lucifer said, accented each word by slamming Gabriel's body deeper into the ground—each concussive hit made the entire town shake as if getting hit by a massive earthquake. "We are destined for each other."

"You don't know a dammed thing about him!" Gabriel said. With a surge of Grace lighting up every nerve in his body he grabbed Lucifer's arm and flung him overhead. They rolled and tumbled on the ground, punching and yelling insults at each other until Gabriel had Lucifer pinned to the ground, but just barely.

Midnight, Death, Carthage, it was all forgotten as Gabriel and Lucifer fought over Sam.

"What's his favorite color?" Gabriel demanded. He was covered in bruises and cuts; his eye was now a black eye that was literally black and starting to swell. His back wasn't broken in ten thousand places, but it was still stiff and it hurt to move.

Even archangels weren't immune to other angry archangels.

Lucifer struggled under Gabriel's weight. "That's not important—"

"It's red, asshole! What's his favorite food?"

"Gabriel, this isn't some game—"

"He's a freak for anything green and leafy. What does he like to listen to, what does he do during his down time, is he a dog person or a cat person?" Gabriel demanded. "You don't know a thing about Sam, Lucifer—how can you even think you're good enough for him, meant for him?"

Lucifer lunged forward, head-butting his younger brother and driving Gabriel backwards and off him. "ENOUGH!" Lucifer roared.

Thunder cracked overhead—both archangels looked up to see the sky was bluish-purple, with black clouds swirling angrily overhead and lightning flashing like strobe-lights. Everyone within five states of Missouri could see the influence the archangel's fighting was having reflected in the sky itself, could feel the earth shake under their anger.

Lucifer and Michael's fight was supposed to turn most of the planet into charcoal. Lucifer and Gabriel were probably going to snap the North American continent in two if they kept it up much longer.

The fallen angel grabbed Gabriel by the neck once more, but this time the Trickster wasn't able to break away.

"I know Sam as well as I know myself, Gabriel," Lucifer said with finality in his voice. "Trivial things aside, I do know him, better than you ever will. Your interference will not be tolerated." Lucifer paused, and for a moment, his eyes softened—the homicidal streak was gone, replaced with heartfelt sorrow. "I won't stand for this deceit. Not again. I'm sorry, brother."

"I—I didn't lie, Luci," Gabriel managed. "I didn't choose then, I won't—I won't now."

From the bushes appeared a familiar form, gun in front as his eyes widened in horror at Gabriel's struggles to get away from Lucifer as well as terror at seeing the Devil _pissed_.

Gabriel was in turns relieved and terrified to see a 6 foot, 4 inch tall hunter in his life. "Sam!"

Lucifer whipped around to see Sam at the tree line, mouth gaping slightly. "Sam, what're—"

Time seemed to pause for a few seconds as Sam assessed the situation—Lucifer holding Gabriel by the neck, both archangels looking like they had their respective asses kicked all over creation. Well, mostly Gabriel. Lucifer had a split lip but that was all when compared to the black eye, cuts, and swelling all over Gabriel's face. _That must've been the reason for the tremors_, Sam realized.

After the assessment came the split-second decision for an appropriate course of action. For Sam, his eyes narrowed dangerously as he whipped his gun out in front of him and shot Lucifer multiple times in the chest, plus once through the forehead for good measure. He emptied the entire clip into the archangel, causing him to stumble backwards a few feet away from Gabriel.

Sam dove into the ground in front of Gabriel, intent to shield the archangel with his body. Lucifer was back on his feet and stalking back towards Sam and Gabriel, tsking in irritation. "Sam, Sam, Sam. That was stupid. I'll forgive you this time," he said, the hunks of metal pushed out of his body and dropping to the ground as he walked towards them, a scowl on his face.

"You really want to put your life on the line for him? Gabriel's nothing but a distraction and you know it. Why get hurt on his account? He's done nothing to hurt you in the past, hasn't he?" Lucifer snarled.

"I've forgiven him. For everything," Sam said honestly.

Gabriel's eyes widened in surprise. _Really? The Mystery Spot, T.V. Land, all of it?_ He'd suspected as much, but to actually hear it straight from the man's mouth made him want to stick his tongue out and blow a loud raspberry at his dick of an older brother.

The Devil rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, standing and watching them. "Oh please, Sam, don't lie to me. You haven't really forgiven him. If I couldn't do it, and he's my brother, how could you?"

"It helps not being a vindictive asshole," Sam quipped.

"Like I said before, Luci, Sam's too good to be yours," Gabriel said smugly, making the Devil scowl.

"I'm not yours. I never was. I never will be," Sam growled in agreement, anger starting to make him see red.

"Yes, I see Gabriel tried that," Lucifer said, shooting a cold glare at Gabriel's huddled form. "But, you're wrong. Sorry, Sam, but you will always be my other half."

Gabriel let out a pained whimper, and that's when Sam froze, images flashing through his mind.

_His mother, Mary, and Jessica on the ceilings, burning. _

_Dean getting ripped apart by hellhounds. _

_His father, dead on the hospital floor._

_Lilith. _

_Ruby. _

_Ellen and Jo almost dying. _

_Bobby in a wheelchair._

It all hit him like successive punches. The demons were behind everything bad that had ever happened.

The demons, like Azazel and Alastair, were created by Lucifer to make his and his brother's life unbearable.

Here was the monster responsible for his whole fucked up life, and now this monster had once again hurt someone he loved. Because Sam _loved_ the fucked up Trickster angel with a penchant for murder and all things candy.

_Not again. Never again. _

"It's all your fault!" Sam let out a roar of frustration and wrath and launched himself at the Devil. He knew his blows wouldn't do anything, but he hand to hit _something_. "Mom, Jessica, Dean, Dad, all of it! I'll never let you hurt anyone ever again!"

Lucifer didn't bother to dodge the first punch; it wasn't like Sam could actually hurt him—

_SLAM!_ Sam hit the archangel so hard Lucifer was actually knocked back several steps by the force of the blow, hand cradling his jaw, surprise all over his face. "Sam, what've you done—"

Sam grabbed the stunned Lucifer and started punching in quick succession, moving faster than he'd ever moved before. Something was there, just under his skin—he could feel power curling around inside it. It was just like when he was hopped up on demon blood, eyes on Lilith's trapped form as he ripped the demon inside her apart with him mind. Whatever the power was he was suddenly drawing from, it was different—it was almost pure, like light or air.

Lucifer tried to keep away from Sam, not wanting to actually get into a fist-fight with his vessel. He spoke again as he stepped out of Sam's long reach. "Stop, Sam! Why are you fighting me so hard, we are destined for each other! You can have the world with me, Sam!"

Sam leapt forward again and felt something fall into his hand. Acting purely on instinct, he put all his power and rage into driving the thing through Lucifer's stomach.

Lucifer let out a pained gasp and gurgle before he fell against Sam's body, almost hugging him in an effort to stay upright. Sam twisted the thing in Lucifer's stomach and jerked it out, making Lucifer drop to his knees weakly.

"I told you I was going to kill you," Sam said in triumph. The bloodlust and bravado in his voice lessened when his eyes locked onto the visage of a blood-covered angel blade in his hand, which seemed to disappear as suddenly as it had appeared. "What the-?"

H dropped to the ground, one hand on Sam's to keep himself upright while the other touched the wound that was pouring not just blood, but golden light as well. "Sam…" Lucifer whispered. He looked up at Sam's face, a mixture of betrayal and sadness on the angel's face. "We were…_destined_…"

Sam froze at that expression. He felt numb, like it was a dream that he would wake up from any second. Killing Lucifer meant that the war was over—it meant his fucked up life was no longer a plaything for celestial beings. He should've been ecstatic, yet…Sam felt sick to his stomach. Why did it feel like he had just lost a part of himself he didn't even know was missing?

"Sam, get back!" Gabriel managed to choke out, breaking Sam out of his shocked stance as Lucifer's body became a blinding white-hot light, a nuclear explosion and he was at ground zero. Sam stumbled backwards, away from the blinding light that overtook Lucifer's body and the look of depressed betrayal on Lucifer's face. Turning away, he flung his body over Gabriel's to protect him when the explosion happened.

The world went dark, like the sun had burnt out behind them, and for several minutes Sam couldn't see much past the dancing spots of lights in his eyes or hear anything other than a bell-like ringing in his head. When he managed to blink the spots away, he slowly turned back to see Lucifer lying dead in the graveyard of Carthage, his wings burned into the ground for all eternity.

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><p>*End of Part 2 of Trickster's Apprentice*<p>

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><p><strong>AN:** Love it? Hate it? Yelling obscenities at the screen at me? Haha, don't worry, part three is in the works and will be posted sooner rather than later! In the meantime please leave reviews, comments, and feedback! Thanks for reading!


	9. Sequel!

Sequel!

The Trickster's Apprentice Series will be continued in the third installment, "Snap"!

Summary: After the events of "Carthage," Sam, Gabriel, and everyone else on Team Free Will is left reeling as their world is flipped upside down in every possible way. Gabriel does what he does best in times of stress, and leaves Sam suffering from a broken heart and a mysterious illness that seems to be killing him slowly.

What happened at Carthage? Will Gabriel be found in time to help Sam? How exactly does one's life change when you're in love with a Trickster Archangel? Find out in the next story in the Trickster's Apprentice Series!


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